New Report Calls for Urgent Action to Reduce Pedestrian Deaths in Charlotte Region
CHARLOTTE — A new national report from Smart Growth America offers a sobering reminder that pedestrian safety remains a major challenge across the United States and here in the Charlotte region.
According to *Dangerous by Design 2026*, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area ranks 50th among the nation’s 101 largest metro areas for pedestrian fatality rates. Between 2020 and 2024, 287 people were killed while walking in the Charlotte region, up from 241 pedestrian deaths during the 2015–2019 period. The region’s average annual pedestrian fatality rate increased to 2.07 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Nationally, 7,080 people were killed while walking in 2024 alone. Although that represents a slight decline from recent record highs, pedestrian fatalities remain 72% higher than they were in 2009.
“These numbers represent real people — parents, children, grandparents, neighbors, and friends whose lives were cut short while simply trying to cross a street, walk to a bus stop, or reach a destination without a car,” said Shannon Binns, founder and executive director of Sustain Charlotte.
[READ MORE: New Report Shows Charlotte Still Has Work to Do to Make Walking Safe]
The report’s central finding is that many roads remain “dangerous by design.” For decades, transportation planning in Charlotte and across the country prioritized moving vehicles quickly over safely accommodating people walking, biking, and using transit. The result has been wide roads, long crossing distances, limited pedestrian infrastructure, and street designs that encourage high vehicle speeds in places where people live, work, shop, and travel.
The report also highlights significant equity concerns. Older adults, people of color, and residents of lower-income communities continue to experience disproportionately high rates of pedestrian fatalities. These findings mirror challenges seen locally, where many historically underserved neighborhoods face greater exposure to high-speed arterial roads, fewer safe crossing opportunities, and less complete pedestrian infrastructure.
Over the past several years, Charlotte and other municipalities in the region have made important investments in safer street design, sidewalks, crosswalks, greenways, protected bike facilities, and traffic calming measures. These investments are helping, but the report makes clear that greater urgency is needed.
“Decades of auto-oriented street design created a significant safety deficit that cannot be solved through incremental improvements alone,” said Binns. “If Charlotte is serious about eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, we must accelerate investments in infrastructure that prioritizes people over vehicle speed.”
Sustain Charlotte supports Charlotte’s Vision Zero program, which is based on the principle that traffic deaths are preventable and that transportation systems should be designed to account for human error without resulting in tragedy. The organization also supports implementing proven safety measures, including the red-light camera pilot currently under consideration by Charlotte City Council.
“Red-light running is a major contributor to severe crashes, and automated enforcement has been shown to reduce dangerous driving behaviors,” said Binns. “While no single strategy will solve the pedestrian safety crisis, red-light cameras can be an important tool as part of a broader Vision Zero approach that combines safer street design, education, enforcement, and accountability.”
Sustain Charlotte believes all available tools should be used to save lives and prevent serious injuries. That includes addressing unsafe behaviors such as speeding, distracted driving, and traffic signal violations while continuing to invest in safer infrastructure, including sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, mid-block crossings, and intersection improvements.
The organization hopes the new report will serve as both a warning and a call to action.
“Every person deserves to arrive home safely,” said Binns. “Charlotte has made meaningful progress, but the scale of the challenge demands a greater sense of urgency. By accelerating investments in safer street design, advancing Vision Zero, and implementing proven safety measures, we can build a future where walking is safe, convenient, and accessible for everyone.”
About Sustain Charlotte
Sustain Charlotte is a charitable nonprofit organization that inspires responsible growth and transportation choices to help create a more equitable, connected, and healthy community for all who call the Charlotte region home.