"From 2000 through 2009, federal highway records show that 47,501 pedestrians have died on the nation’s roads. Of these deaths, just over 13,000, or 27.5%, took place on roads in rural areas, according to the Federal Highway Safety Administration.

These rural roads are slightly more unsafe for pedestrians than city streets, at least on a per capita basis.

The report, Dangerous by Design, finds:

In fact, rural areas, even more so than many metropolitan areas, are characterized by dangerous, high-speed roads, and are far less likely to have sidewalks, crosswalks, and other basic pedestrian infrastructure. Yet, a significant share of the rural population, more than 1.6 million rural households, lacks access to a car. And rural areas and small towns tend to have higher concentrations of older adults and low-income citizens, groups that are less likely to drive.

The distribution of these rural pedestrian deaths was not random, however. Four of the five rural counties with the most pedestrian deaths, for example, are all home to large Native American populations."

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Pedestrian Deaths on Rural Roads (The Daily Yonder 5/31)