Greater Boston one of safest U.S. metro areas for pedestrians

As dicey as it can seem sometimes, especially when conditions turn icy, the Boston area is not one of the nation’s most dangerous for pedestrians. It’s not even close.

A new analysis from Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition drew on data from 104 metropolitan areas to determine the least safest ones for people to just walk down the damn street without worrying about getting run over.

Greater Boston did not make the top 20. In fact, we’re way down the list at 101, with only Madison, Wis., the Portland, Maine, area, and Colorado Springs, Colo., safer.

Really.

The most dangerous area for pedestrians? Coral Gables-Fort Meyers, Fla. Florida metros claimed the top seven spots in the analysis, actually.

Make no mistake, just because Greater Boston didn’t crack the top 100 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care, especially at busier intersections (and whatever the lower speed limit). As Curbed’s Alissa Walker notes: “Walkers in this country are now seven times more likely to be killed walking than in a natural disaster. This is nothing less than a public health epidemic—and it’s getting worse.”

• These are the most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians [Curbed]
• Boston speed limit dropping to 25 miles per hour in 2017 [Curbed Boston]