2. 3
Tables, Figures, Charts, and Appendices
Title Page Number
Table 1: National Personal Transportation Survey – Texas Data 4
Figure A: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 – United States and Texas (2002- 2005) 6
Figure B: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000, Age 55 and older- United States and Texas 7
(2002- 2005)
Figure C: Counties in Texas with No Pedestrian Fatalities, All Ages (2002-2005) 10
Figure D: Texas Counties with No Pedestrian Fatalities, Ages 55 and Older, 2002-2005 12
Figure E: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality Rate Per 100,000, Texas General Population and Older Texans 13
(2002- 2005)
Figure F: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Major Metropolitan Counties, Ages 55 and Older 14
(2002-2005)
Figure G: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Metropolitan Counties, Ages 55 and Older 15
(2002-2005)
Figure H: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Small Metropolitan Counties, Ages 55 and Older 16
(2002- 2005)
Figure I: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Smaller Counties, Ages 55 and Older 17
(2002- 2005)
Figure J: Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Major Metropolitan Counties 18
(2002-2005)
Figure K: Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Metropolitan Counties 19
(2002- 2005)
Figure L: Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Small Metro Counties 20
(2002- 2005)
Figure M: Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Smaller Counties 21
(2002- 2005)
Appendices
Appendix A- General Population Fatality Summary, By County, 2002- 2005
Appendix B- Older Texans Fatality Summary and Per 100,000 Rate, By County, 2002- 2005.
Appendix C-- Older Texans Fatality Summary and Per 100,000 Rate, Grouped By Size of Population, 2002- 2005
Appendix D- Older Texans As Proportion of Overall Pedestrian Fatality Relative to Their Proportion of Population,
Among Counties of 50,000 or More, 2002- 2005.
WalkWell Texas
3. 4
Introduction:
According to the US Department of Transportation’s 2001 National Personal Transportation Survey
(NPTS), US adults and youth reported that they walked more in 2001 than in 1995. 1
Although walking
has increased generally, Texans, ages 55 and older, are among the state’s most frequent pedestrians.
In 2001, 4.5% of all trips in Texas were made on foot. 2
(See Table 1: National Personal Transportation
Survey- Texas Data) Although they comprised only 16% of the state’s population, older Texans made
more than a quarter (25.3%) of all Texas’ walking trips.
Table 1: National Personal Transportation Survey- Texas Data
Respondent Age
Percentage of
Trips
Made on Foot
Youth
0 – 5 years of age 3.8%
5 – 15 years of age 8.7%
Youth Total: 12.9%
Older Adults
56 – 60 years of age 3.0%
61 – 65 years of age 3.0%
66 – 70 years of age 4.6%
71 – 75 years of age 4.4%
76 – 79 years of age 3.2%
80 – 84 years of age 4.3%
85+ years of age 2.8%
Older Adult Total: 25.3%
Among older adults, walking rates are highest for Texans, 66 – 75 years of age, an age cohort whose
reported walking surpasses that of Texas youth, ages 5 - 15. Walking generally decreases among those
Texans, 76 years of age and older.
As the NPTS data shows, rates of walking were highest for those older adults, ages 66 – 75, with a
decrease overall among older Texans, 76 year of age and older. In fact, older adults, 66 – 75, walked
more than Texas children, ages 5 – 15, that segment of the population often assumed to be the state’s
primary pedestrians.
While many Texans across the life span walk for exercise or recreation, walking is an important, if
not primary, means of transportation for Texans, ages 55 and older. A 2004 AARP survey found
that one in six- 17%- of its more than 2 million Texas members, ages 55 and older, identified walking as
their primary method of transportation.3
One in five members (20%) reported walking weekly with 8%
walking daily and 5% monthly.4
Similarly, in a 2006 United Way of the Gulf Coast survey of Harris,
Fort Bend, Waller, and Montgomery Counties, half of the region’s participants, ages 60 years of age and
older, reported that they had walked as a means of transportation within the previous six months.5
4. 5
While the overall increase in Texans walking is applauded for both the health benefits and
independence it provides, crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians remains a significant
traffic safety issue in Texas, particularly for older Texans. The second largest category of motor
vehicle-related deaths, 19,181 pedestrians were killed in the United States between 2002-2005 with 1719
fatalities occurring in Texas.
While the number of fatalities provides some information, traffic fatalities and injuries are often expressed
in terms of their incidence per 100,000 persons. The per 100,000 rate allows one to equalize the number
of fatalities among areas that may vary greatly in population size and over time, allowing for a
comparison of apples-to-apples that a simple comparison of numbers makes impossible.
Between 2002- 2005, the nation’s per 100,000 pedestrian fatality rate was 1.7/100,000. In Texas, the
pedestrian fatality rate was 2.0/100,000, 17% higher than the national rate. (See Figure A:
Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000 – United States and Texas (2002- 2005))
Among older Texans, the per 100,000 fatality rate was 2.7/100,000, a rate 35% higher than the
already-elevated rate of fatality among Texas’ general population. As with the general population,
the per 100,0000 fatality rate for older Texans surpasses the national 2.59/100,000 rate among older
adults across the US. (See Figure B: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality Rate per 100,000, ages 55 and
older- United States and Texas (2002-2005))
Similarly elevated, the share of older Texans as a proportion of the state’s overall pedestrian
fatalities is disproportionate to their ratio in the population. While older adults accounted for 372, or
22% of all pedestrian fatalities, they comprised only 17% of the Texas’ population in the 2000 Census.
The elevated fatality rate among older pedestrians is, in part, attributable to age-related changes that
increase their susceptibility and the likelihood of death in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle.
Because aging is associated with decreased bone mass, decreased muscular strength, cardiovascular
degeneration, and a lower tolerance to injury, older adults are more likely to sustain a more severe range
of injuries and impacts than their younger counterparts.6
Post-collision recovery and survival is often
further complicated by pre-existing health conditions and challenges.
7. 8
WalkWell Texas’ Research
That older adults are more susceptible to fatality increases the importance of interventions that
minimize the risk of a collision in the first place. As a first step to aligning interventions and
strategies, WalkWell Texas set out to better understand pedestrian fatalities among older Texans,
an effort funded by the Texas Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Program.
Seeking original source data to analyze, WalkWell Texas purchased each Crash Records Bureau 3
(CRB-3) report filed for each pedestrian killed in Texas between 2002- 2005 from the Texas Department
of Public Safety. WalkWell Texas data entry staff entered the response of law enforcement officers to
each issue for which the CRB-3 report requests a response. Throughout the entry process, data was
consistently checked for quality and accuracy. After the CRB-3 reports were entered, each electronic
entry was, again, compared against its “paper” counterpart to ensure the highest degree of accuracy and
consistency feasible.
Using their well-defined, historically-static boundaries, counties were used as the geographic unit of
measure for the fatality data, rather than municipalities. Although more recent population estimates have
been generated by the US Census Bureau for many of Texas’ larger counties, these estimates are not
available for all of the state’s 254 counties, thus population data was drawn from the 2000 US Census
Summary File 1 (SF-1).
With the CRB-3 data and the Census data as its basis, WalkWell Texas developed a statewide overview of
pedestrian fatality among the general population. Using the findings of the general population as a point
of comparison, WalkWell Texas focused specifically on fatalities among those Texans, ages 55 and older.
The data referenced and calculations can be found in the Report’s Appendices.
An important caveat to consider when reviewing the fatality data, particularly for older adults, is the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s (NHTSA-FARS)
definition of a pedestrian fatality. NHTSA defines a pedestrian crash as one, which involves a motor
vehicle on a public roadway that results in at least one fatality within 30 days of an accident.7
The 30-day
NHTSA-FARS window likely underestimates the number of older pedestrians who die as the
consequences of crash injuries and the associated impacts a collision triggers may not manifest in a fatal
outcome within this relatively short time frame. Concerns about the likely undercount led the National
Safety Council, for example, to adopt its own definition of fatality to include a traffic fatality as any crash
death that ensues within one year after a crash. However, because WalkWell Texas drew data and
information from the NHTSA-FARS, the numeric analysis also reflects this probable undercount.
A second important caveat to consider when reviewing the analysis of the data is WalkWell Texas’ This
discrete focus on the most extreme of Texas pedestrian crashes-- those in which a pedestrian was killed
and that fatality occurred between 2002- 2005. Because comprehensive injury data is not available
through NHTSA-FARS for the state, WalkWell Texas did not consider non-fatal crashes or the injuries
that occur to pedestrians across the lifespan. As a consequence, those populations at highest risk for
pedestrian fatality and the elements common to these crashes may differ markedly from those pedestrians
who sustain non-fatal injuries.
8. 9
Summary of Texas Pedestrian Fatalities:
• Between 2002- 2005, 1719 pedestrians were killed in Texas.
• Males comprised approximately eight in ten Texas pedestrian fatalities, ranging in age from 93 to
less than six months of age. Comprising the remaining fatalities, female pedestrians ranged in age
from 95 to eight months of age.
• Approximately 40 incidents involved two or more pedestrians struck and killed in the same crash.
Primarily in pairs, these pedestrians included a husband and wife, siblings, cousins, mothers with
small children in strollers, and fathers walking with their young children.
• According to the Department of Public Safety Crash Records Bureau reports, one hundred (100)
Texas counties did not have a single pedestrian fatality between 2002- 2005. (See Figure C:
Counties in Texas with No Pedestrian Fatalities, All Ages (2002-2005))
• More than half (52%) of all pedestrian fatalities occurred within the state’s seven major
metropolitan counties.
• Three in four pedestrian fatalities occurred within the boundaries of a municipality, based on the
data compiled from the CRB-3 reports.
• The vast majority of drivers involved in a pedestrian fatality (99%) for which information is
recorded presented a Texas driver license. Less than 5% of drivers involved in a pedestrian
fatality for which information is known were without a license.
• Approximately one in ten Crash Records Bureau reports indicated that the driver(s) failed to stop
and render aid to the pedestrian(s) he/she struck. Hit and runs were more likely to occur in the
state’s major metropolitan counties.
Texas Pedestrian Fatalities
Number of Pedestrian Fatalities
Harris County, the state’s largest metropolitan county, leads in the number of pedestrians struck
and killed with 291 fatalities between 2002-2005. Dallas County ranks second with 215 fatalities,
followed by Bexar County, which ranks third with 136 pedestrian fatalities. Lagging significantly behind
their large metropolitan counterparts, Tarrant County reported 94 fatalities with Travis, Hidalgo, and El
Paso Counties reporting 55, 54, and 54 deaths respectively between 2002- 2005.
The Per 100,000 Rate of Pedestrian Fatality
The statewide per 100,000 fatality rate in Texas is approximately 2/100,000. Texas counties, however,
varied tremendously in their incidence of pedestrian fatality per 100,000 Texans between 2002- 2005.
• Major metropolitan counties: In those counties with populations of 500,000 or more, the four-
year average per 100,000 fatality rate was 2.10/100,000 between 2002- 2005.
o With a 2.44/100,000 fatality rate, Bexar County leads the state with Dallas County
(2.42/100,000) and Hidalgo County (2.37/100,000) following closely behind.
• Metropolitan counties: With populations of 200,000 – 499,999, the four-year average per
100,000 pedestrian fatality rate was 1.81/100,000.
o With a 3.03 fatality rate, Nueces County leads among counties of similar size with
Jefferson County (2.98/100,000) closely following.
10. 11
• Small metropolitan counties: With populations between 100,000 – 199,999, the four-year
average per 100,000 fatality rate was 2.11/100,000.
o Gregg County had the highest average four-year average per 100,000 pedestrian fatality
rate of 4.04/100,000, followed by Potter County with a per 100,000 fatality rate of
3.52/100,000.
• Smaller counties: With a total population of 50,000 – 99,999, the four year average per 100,000
fatality rate was 2.29/100,000.
o More than double the overall rate, Liberty County had a four-year average rate of
5.70/100,000, followed by Bowie County with a four-year average rate of 3.08/100,000
• Rural counties: With a total population of 49,999 and smaller: The four-year average per
100,000 fatality rate was 1.73/100,000.
o Of these counties, 100 did not have a single pedestrian fatality between 2002- 2005.
For information on individual counties, see Appendix A- General Population Fatality Summary, By
County, 2002- 2005.
Older Texans Are At Significant Risk for Pedestrian Fatality
While the rate of pedestrian fatalities overall is significant among Texans across the lifespan, older
pedestrians are at particularly significant risk for pedestrian fatality, according to the CRB-3 data. The
extent to which older Texans are pedestrian fatalities is disproportionate to their proportion in the
population, both in quantity and as captured in the per 100,000 rate of fatality.
Summary of Older Pedestrian Fatalities
• Between 2002- 2005, 372 older pedestrians, ages 55 and older, were killed in Texas.
• Males comprised more than 80% of all pedestrian fatalities among those ages 55 and older.
• Approximately half (48%) of all older pedestrians were killed in one of the state’s major
metropolitan counties.
• One hundred fifty-six counties did not have a single fatality among older pedestrians between
2002- 2005. (Figure D: Texas Counties with No Pedestrian Fatalities, Ages 55 and Older, 2002-
2005))
Numbers of Older Pedestrians Killed:
The state’s major metropolitan counties lead in the numbers of older pedestrians killed. Harris
County leads the state in the number of deaths among older pedestrians with Dallas, Bexar, and El
Paso Counties ranking sequentially. Substantially fewer older pedestrian fatalities were documented in
Tarrant County, Hidalgo County, and Travis County between 2002- 2005 respectively.
12. 13
Per 100,000 Fatality Rate for Older Texas Pedestrians
The per 100,000 fatality rate among older Texans is 2.7/100,000, a rate 35% higher than the state’s
already-elevated 2.0/100,000 pedestrian fatality rate. (Figure E: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatality
Rate Per 100,000, Texas General Population and Older Texans (2002-2005))
The Per 100,000 Rate of Pedestrian Fatality Among Older Texans
As with the state’s overall pedestrian fatality rate, counties within Texas varied tremendously in the
incidence of pedestrian fatality per 100,000 older Texans. For information on specific counties, see
Appendix B- Older Texans Fatality Summary and Per 100,000 Rate, By County, 2002- 2005.
13. 14
Although the normalization of the per 100,000 rate calculation allows one to compare fatality between
large and small counties, the counties have been grouped by population size. For information on specific
counties, see Appendix C-- Older Texans Fatality Summary and Per 100,000 Rate, Grouped By Size of
Population, 2002- 2005.
• Major Metropolitan counties: In those counties with populations of 500,000 or more, the four-
year average per 100,000 fatality rate was 2.58/100,000. (Figure F: Comparison of Pedestrian
Fatalities per 100,000- Major Metropolitan Counties, Ages 55 and Older (2002-2005))
o At 4.59/100,000, El Paso County had the highest per 100,000 rate of pedestrian fatalities
among counties of its size, a rate 77% higher than its major metropolitan counterparts.
Although substantially lower than that of El Paso, Bexar County has an average four-year
rate of 3.21/100,000, nearly 25% above the major metropolitan average.
!
14. 15
Metropolitan Counties: Among these counties with populations of 200,000- 499,999, the average four-
year rate for older adults is 2.49/100,000, a rate significantly above (37%) that of the general population
living in counties of this size. (Figure G: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Metropolitan
Counties, Ages 55 and Older (2002-2005))
o Lubbock County leads with a four-year average pedestrian fatality rate of 4.45/100,000,
followed by Bell County with a four-year average fatality rate of 4.15/100,000, among
those ages 55 and older.
o With a higher than average per 100,000 fatality rate of 2.04 among the overall population,
Montgomery County had no older pedestrian fatalities among those for whom age is
known between 2002- 2005.
15. 16
! Small Metropolitan Counties: With populations between 100,000- 199,999, the pedestrian
fatality rate among older adults is 3.21/100,000, a rate 52% higher than that of the general
7.1population. (Figure H: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Small Metropolitan
Counties, Ages 55 and Older (2002-2005))
o With an average, four-year pedestrian fatality rate of 7.64, Webb County leads its
counterparts, followed by Taylor County with a rate of 5.86/100,000.
o With average, four-year pedestrian fatality rates significantly below their counterparts,
both Brazos and Midland Counties had no older pedestrian fatalities among those for
whom age is known between 2002-2005.
16. 17
Smaller Counties: With a total population of 50,000 – 99,999, the pedestrian fatality rate among older
adults is 2.85/100,000 among older pedestrians, a rate 25% higher than that of the general population.
(Figure I: Comparison of Pedestrian Fatalities per 100,000- Smaller Counties, Ages 55 and Older (2002-
2005))
o With a four-year average of 11.51/100,000 among its older pedestrians, Liberty County is
four times higher than the average for counties of similar size. At 5.81/100,000 older
pedestrians, Angelina County is more than twice the overall average for counties of this
size.
o With varying levels of pedestrian fatality among their general population, Orange, Comal,
Coryell, Bastrop, and Anderson Counties had no older pedestrian fatalities among those for
whom age is known between 2002- 2005. Orange, Coryell, and Anderson’s per 100,000
fatality rate among the general population are below the 2.85/100,000 average for counties
of their size.
• Rural Counties: With a maximum county population of 49,999, the pedestrian fatality rate
among older adults is 1.79/100,000 among older pedestrians, a rate 3% higher than that of the
general population.
• With a per 100,000 fatality rate of 8.77 among older pedestrians, Val Verde County is nearly
five times higher than the average for counties of similar size. Closely clustered in the per
100,000 fatality rate, both Gray (7.86/100,000) and Houston (7.6/100,000) Counties have
fatality rates more than four times higher than the average.
17. 18
Older Texans Are Disproportionately Represented Among the State’s Pedestrian
Fatalities
Overall, older adults comprised 17% of the state’s population in the 2000 US Census, but 22% of its
pedestrian fatalities. Counties within Texas vary tremendously in the extent to which disproportion exists
between the ratio of the older population to fatality.
• Major Metropolitan Counties: The number of older pedestrian fatalities in El Paso and Harris
Counties are significantly disproportionate to the population of older residents in each of these
counties. Although older adults comprise 17% of El Paso’s total population, they comprise 40% of
the fatalities, a rate more than double their share of the population. In Harris County, while 14% of
the population is 55 and older, these adults comprise 21% of the fatalities, a rate 50% higher than
their proportion of the population. Older adults constitute 14% of Bexar County’s population, but
comprised 24% of its pedestrian fatalities. (Figure J: Proportion of Older Adults in the Population
and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Major Metropolitan Counties (2002-2005))
18. 19
Metropolitan Counties: Although older adults comprise one in eight (12%) of Fort Bend County’s
overall population, they represent 40% of the fatalities, a rate more than three times their proportion.
Older adults constitute 19% of Lubbock County, but comprised 57% of the fatalities, a rate three times
their proportion. Similarly, Williamson County older adults comprised more than one in three (36%) of
the pedestrian fatalities, although they account for only 14% of the overall population. (Figure K:
Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Metropolitan Counties (2002-
2005))
19. 20
Small Metropolitan Counties: Although older adults comprise one in five (21%) members of Randall
County’s population, they represent 75% of the fatalities, a rate more than three times their proportion.
Older adults constitute 19% of Johnson County’s overall population, they comprised half of those killed
in pedestrian crashes. Similarly, Williamson County older adults comprised one in seven- 14%- of the
population, but one in three of those killed in pedestrian crashes between 2002- 2005. (Figure L:
Proportion of Older Adults in the Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Small Metro Counties (2002-
2005))
20. 21
• Smaller Counties: Older adults comprise 20% of Victoria County’s population, although 60% of
their fatalities. The proportion of older adult fatalities in Angelina County was nearly three times
the proportion of the population that these adults comprise (57% vs. 21%). Similarly, one in five
San Patricio County residents were ages 55 and older, although they accounted for 50% of the
fatalities between 2002- 2005. Older adults comprise 19% of Liberty County’s population, but
38% of its fatalities, a rate double their proportion. (Figure M: Proportion of Older Adults in the
Population and as Pedestrian Fatalities- Smaller Counties (2002-2005))
For selected information, see Appendix D- Older Texans As Proportion of Overall Pedestrian Fatality
Relative to Their Proportion of Population, Among Counties of 50,000 or More, 2002- 2005.
21. 22
The Challenges Lay Ahead
Current data confirms that older pedestrians face a disproportionate risk for fatality. However, the
magnitude of the traffic safety challenge will only increase. The health and longevity of the nation’s
older adults is at an unprecedented level with average life expectancy extending into the eighties for both
men and women.8
According to National Institute on Aging calculations of US longitudinal data, older
adults outlive their decision to stop driving by an average of 8 years, a time during which they largely rely
on alternatives, such as walking, public transportation, family, and others as means of transportation. In
Texas, the proportion of older adults is projected to swell from 17% to 28% by 2030, a sharp increase in
the number of Texans who will likely walk.
Endnotes:
1
Ham, S.A., Macera, C.A., and Corina Lindley. October, 2005. Trends in Walking for Transportation in the United States,
1995 and 2001. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health, Research, Practice and Policy, Volume 2, Number 4.
2
US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. 2004. 2001 National Household Transportation
Survey- Texas. Washington, D.C.: Released 2004.
3
AARP. 2004. Texas Member Transportation Survey, 8. Authored by Anita Stowell-Ritter, AARP Knowledge
Management, Washington, D.C.
4
AARP. 2004. Texas Member Transportation Survey, 9. Authored by Anita Stowell-Ritter, AARP Knowledge
Management, Washington, D.C.
5
United Way of the Gulf Coast. 2006. Transportation Among Persons with Disabilities, Older Adults, and Low-Income
Families in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties: A Snapshot. Houston, Texas.
6
Beck, Laurie F., Ann Delinger, and Mary E. O’Neil. 2007. Motor Vehicle Crash Injury Rates by Mode of Travel, United
States: Using Exposure-Based Methods to Quantify Differences. American Journal of Epidemiology. See also: Oxley, J. and
B. Fildes. 1999. Safety of Older Pedestrians: Strategy for Future Research and Action Initiatives, 13. Monash University
Accident Research Centre: Victoria, Australia.. 2004. Dunbar, G., Holland, C., et. al. Road Safety Research Report No. 37:
Older Pedestrians- A Critical Review of the Literature. Department of Transport: London, England.
7
Austin, Rory A. and Barbara Faigin. 2003. Effect of Vehicle and Crash Factors on Older Occupants. Journal of Safety
Research 34, 441- 452. See also: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2003. Electronic 2003 FARS Coding and
Validation Menu. US Department of Transportation: Washington, D.C.
8
Foley, D.J., Harley K. Heimovitz, et. al. August 2002. Driving Life Expectancy of Persons Aged 70 Years and Older in the
United States. American Journal of Public Health, Volume 92, Number 8, 1294-1289.
