Best Foot Forward: How the State Supports Improved Pedestrian Safety

Photo credit: Briana Weisgerber

Everyone is a pedestrian, whether it is to get to and from a car or bike after parking, or to and from a transit stop, or just to and from one destination to another. As such, pedestrian safety is important to benefit all who live, work, and visit Washington.

However, every year sees the death or injury of pedestrians. In 2023, 154 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in Washington, making up 19% of total fatalities involving crashes. Another 474 people were seriously injured.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the state framework for pedestrian safety and highlight effective approaches for local governments to improve pedestrian safety, such as speed management strategies and the use of improved walking facilities (e.g., crosswalks) and/or changes to street lighting. When such changes are implemented to improve pedestrian safety, they also reduce the likelihood, exposure to, and potential severity of traffic crashes for users of all modes of transportation.

Washington State Framework for Pedestrian Safety

Since improving places for people to walk and roll provides a whole host of community benefits, (e.g., improved air quality and health), Washington State supports and prioritizes pedestrian safety through a Safe System Approach (Safe System), which is built on elements from Target Zero. The goal of this plan is to have zero deaths or serious injuries on Washington roads by 2030.

Target Zero includes these key elements:

• Safer land use to allow everyone to get where they want to go using any mode of travel.
• Safer roads to keep users safely separated.
• Safer speeds to create a culture where drivers value life over getting to their destination faster.
• Safer road users who understand the rules of the road and avoid risks.
• Safer vehicles that support safe driving and keep occupants and non-occupants safe.
• Swift and effective post-crash care.

Additional state policies include:

• Executive Order E 1085.01, which mandates the integration of Safe System principles into planning, design, construction, and maintenance of state-owned and operated transportation infrastructure.
• Complete Streets, which requires state transportation projects over $1,000,000 to incorporate “the principles of complete streets with facilities that provide street access with all users in mind, including pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users.”

Washington State also has several laws pertaining to pedestrian safety. Central to these efforts are crosswalk laws, which require drivers to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians at all roadway intersections.

Roadway intersections are legal crossings even if a crosswalk isn’t marked. Drivers are required to stop if a pedestrian is crossing or within one lane of the half of the roadway the driver is traveling in or turning onto (RCW 46.61.235). The responsibility of drivers is more than just simply yielding—they must reduce speed, prepare to stop when approaching crosswalk areas, and be especially cautious in environments where pedestrians are likely present, such as near schools, parks, hospitals, and neighborhoods.

Washington drivers must also take all necessary precautions to avoid injuring a pedestrian who is using a white cane, guide dog, service animal, or wheelchair, regardless of that pedestrian’s location in the roadway (RCW 70.84.040).

Speed Limit Setting and Speed Management 

Speed is the most important physical variable in determining whether someone walking or biking will survive when a motorist strikes them. From 2010–2019, 86% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in the state occurred on roads with posted speeds of over 25 mph. 

Based on research reviewed by a state workgroup and documented in Injury Minimization and Speed Management Policy Elements and Implementation Recommendations, pedestrians have a 90% survivability rate when hit by a driver whose vehicle is traveling 20 mph. The impact increases exponentially as speed increases; the survival rate drops to about 50% for a 30-mph crash, and around 15% for a 40-mph crash.

Notably, those survival rates were calculated before the dramatic increase in the number of large SUVs and pickups on the road. Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows the likelihood of death at any speed is far greater for pedestrians when the striking vehicle has a high, blunt front end. The Federal Highway Administration focused on speed management in the Summer 2025 edition of Public Roads, with a vivid illustration of impact speed: A car traveling at 42 mph carries the energy equivalent to that same car falling from a six-story building and hitting the ground.

Washington has several policy tools to help local governments set speeds

• As of 2025, RCW 46.61.197 allows local authorities to designate non-arterial highways as a shared street where vehicle traffic yields the right-of-way to any pedestrian in the street.
• RCW 46.61.415 allows local authorities to set the speed limit at 10 mph on a shared street or 20 mph on a non-arterial street without conducting an engineering and traffic investigation as long as they establish a procedure for doing so.

Speed limit setting can be paired with strategies to achieve lower speeds. Many local jurisdictions have undertaken various approaches to speed limit reductions, including individual corridor reductions, neighborhood reductions, and city or county-wide reductions. Some examples include:

• Lake Forest Park implemented citywide speed limit changes to “foster a more livable, walkable community where everyone can feel at ease,” among other goals.
• Spokane implemented speed limit reductions on corridors near schools and parks, implementing year-round reductions for previous seasonal limits.
• Walla Walla reduced speed limits on two corridors in 2024 to “support safe streets for all users.”

For more information on speed management and speed limit setting see:

• Speed Limits and Traffic Calming
• Reducing Crash Severity with Speed Limit Setting and Speed Management
• Reducing Local Street Speed Limits in Bellevue: Safety Starts on Your Street – Part 1 and Part 2

Infrastructure and Amenities for People Walking

Sidewalks, shared-use paths, and shared streets provide places for people to walk where they have the right-of-way. Pedestrian level of traffic stress (LTS), as adopted by the state department of transportation, WSDOT, provides a performance metric to determine which type of ‘walking facility’ best serves pedestrians based on the characteristics of the road.

In the LTS ranking, level 1 feels safe and comfortable for all users, while levels 3 and 4 represent stressful conditions on a road that may deter specific users from walking on it. Roadways with a lower LTS offer these benefits:

• Increases the potential for greater systemic safety, from decreased motor vehicle speeds to physical separating users.
• Offers walking facilities suitable for all ages and abilities, meeting the needs of approximately 30% of Washingtonians who do not or cannot drive.
• Encourages people to shift from automobiles to active travel and transit.
• Supports lower-cost travel options.
• Supports environmental, public health, and equity goals.

Pedestrian crossings are another place where people are very vulnerable. Strategies to improve safety in crossings can include adding design treatments to shorten the crossing distance, requiring lower driver speeds approaching the crossing, increasing the visibility of pedestrians, increasing the predictability of pedestrian and driver movements, and increasing separation in space and time.

Treatments for crossings can include curb extensions, raised crosswalks, elimination of slip lanes, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons, among others. Providing a leading pedestrian interval in crosswalk signal timing is both a strategy and a treatment: It lets pedestrians get a head start, making them more visible to drivers.

The presence and effectiveness of street lighting also affect pedestrian safety. In 2022, the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council reported that from 2017 to 2020, half of pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities occurred under conditions of darkness, both with and without street illumination. For a summary of local street lighting design guidance and best practices, see the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s Street Lighting and Safety Study (2025).

Year-round maintenance of walking facilities is also important. For more information about how to maintain facilities for people walking and biking, see WSDOT's Maintenance of the Active Transportation Elements of Complete Streets.

Planning and Funding Walking Facilities

Planning for investments in pedestrian infrastructure can allow jurisdictions to think about designated routes for people walking to schools, parks, businesses, senior centers, and other destinations. A jurisdiction can document their commitment to pedestrian safety through efforts like ADA transition plans, local road safety plans, active transportation plans, safe routes to school plans, and complete streets programs.

During the planning process, local governments should engage with their communities to learn about their current and desired travel patterns. For more information on active transportation planning basics, see training and resources available as part of WSDOT's Local Technical Assistance Program.

WSDOT’s active transportation funding programs and the Transportation Improvement Board support improved pedestrian safety through grant programs. WSDOT has also developed the Active Transportation Programs Design Guide to support the implementation of local improvements for people who walk and bike.

Conclusion

With a renewed focus on pedestrian safety, support at the state level has never been stronger. As local governments update their comprehensive plans, active transportation, and pedestrian-specific plans, they should ensure conformance with state law and take advantage of the support provided at the state level. Reviewing the resources in this blog is a good place to start when looking to boost the safety of all users on local roads.