Detroit Ranks Dead Last For Pedestrian Safety In New Study

DETROIT (WWJ) - A new study finds that Detroit is the most dangerous big city in the U.S. for pedestrians.

The study, by Liberty Mutual, looked at traffic data, infrastructure and residents' perception of safety in the nation's 25 largest cities.

Resident Anthony Saunders said he's surprised by the results of the survey, telling WWJ Newsradio 950's Ron Dewey he doesn't see anything different compared to other cities he has visited.

But that doesn't mean walking Detroit's streets can't be challenging.

"People running lights, bright and early," Saunders said. "People run more red lights during broad daylight than you'd expect."

Given crime in the neighborhoods, other Detroit pedestrians say they have to do more than look both ways.

One young woman said, given crime on the streets, traffic is the least of her worries.

"A lot of stuff's going on in the neighborhoods," said one young woman, waiting for a bus along Livernois Wednesday. "Every day somebody's getting hurt, somebody's coming up missing...Kids are getting killed, teenagers."

"It's not surprising. I don't even wanna be out here right now," she added.

What does Detroiter Breya James do to stay safe?

"Stay away from the street; like, stay back when you stand at the bus stop," said James."You wanna stay further back from the street, just in case that there is traffic, you know, you're not right in it."

"And like, with the crime out here and stuff like that, you should walk with someone else," she added.

The survey gives Seattle and Boston high marks for investing in sidewalks and traffic controls with pedestrians in mind.

Get more information about the study and see how other big cities rank, HERE.