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Community Corner

Is Maryland Safe for Pedestrians? Not Particularly

Most feel safe, but a recent study shows that confidence may be misplaced.

When Soriya Signorina lived in Baltimore, she said she felt safe as a pedestrian.

Originally from the Bronx in New York, Signorina, who now lives in Queenstown, MD, said she usually feels more unsafe driving in Maryland than walking.

“People here are constantly still using their phones (while driving),” she said. “Maryland is so far behind…it’s still a secondary offense (talking on the phone when driving)…it should have been a primary a long time ago.”

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Despite Signorina’s confidence when crossing streets, the state doesn’t stack up particularly well when compared to others in pedestrian safety.

Maryland was ranked 15th deadliest for pedestrians among the 50 states and District of Columbia, according to the transportation advocacy group Transportation for America.

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The group’s report said 1,057 pedestrians died on Maryland roads from 2000 to 2009. Of those, 481 occurred in metropolitan Baltimore. The city was ranked the 32nd most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians, out of 52 cities studied.

In total, 47,000 pedestrians were killed in the United States from 2000 to 2009. More than 688,000 pedestrians were injured during that time.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Maryland was criticized in a previous study for having one of thelowest rates of spending on pedestrian safety projects in the nation.

What do you think? Are there crosswalks in your town, and are they respected by drivers? Do you feel safe? 

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