INDReporter

Mind the traffic: La. high on ‘danger to peds' list

by Walter Pierce

When it comes to getting struck and killed by a passing vehicle, Louisiana ranks third worst among the 50 states, according to new report.

When it comes to getting struck and killed by a passing vehicle, Louisiana ranks third worst among the 50 states, according to new report - Dangerous by Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths (and Making Great Neighborhoods) - by the group Transportation for America.

From 2000 to 2009 more than 1,000 Louisiana pedestrians were killed. T4America cites poor road design, a lack of sidewalks and other factors, and points out that older residents and minorities especially are more likely to be killed by a vehicle while walking.

According to the report, the average death rate for blacks was 71 percent higher during the 10-year study period than it was for non-Hispanic whites. Hispanics had a 30-percent higher death rate than non-Hispanic whites, and older Americans are twice as likely to be killed than those under age 65.

Read a pdf of the report here.