AmericaWalks hosted a webinar today on the Smart Growth America Dangerous by Design 2026 report. The webinar recording and slide show will be posted later.
The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) is the 19th most dangerous for pedestrians (walkers) in the US. A MSA is a portion of a region that includes major cities, but also rural areas (see map on Wikipedia: Sacramento metropolitan area). It includes part of the SACOG six-county region, but is not identical.
The map below shows Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA tied for 19th worst with Stockton-Lodi. Keep in mind that this is 19th out of 101 places. No, it is not the worst in California. Bakersfield-Delano, Fresno, and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario are worse. This report does not address cities, though other data points indicate that the City of Sacramento is among the top three worst in the state.
The map also shows California as the 8th worst state out of 50 states. There are seven worse, led by New Mexico, a state famous for its drunk driving. Only Hawaii had a significant decrease in the rate of fatalities.
Even more important than our poor ranking is that we are getting worse. The chart below shows change from 2015-2019 to 2020-2024, and is just the first page of four, totaling 101 MSAs. The Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (19th) has gone from 2.45 to 3.21 pedestrian fatalities per 100K people in only five years. California (8th) has gone from 2.38 to 2.82 in only five years. No one who follows the news is unaware of this epidemic of traffic violence, but the change is remarkable. What is the government doing about it? Very little.
On the webinar is was asked if the explosion of vehicle sizes and prevalence of trucks with very poor visibility was the main cause of the increase. The Smart Growth America presenter answered that it was on among many causes. Poor roadway design remains a primary factor.
If you are thinking of places you might want to visit, and walk, you would absolutely want to avoid Bakersfield-Delano, Fresno, and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. These are places that have largely accepted a high rate of pedestrian fatalities, and are doing little to change it. Don’t go there! The chart will show you places where you might go, but would want to be very, very careful. And make sure your will and medical insurance are up to date.
