WalkWell Texas- Analysis of Older Ped Fatalities

Analysis of Older Pedestrian Fatalities in Texas,

2002 - 2005

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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! 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.

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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.

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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))

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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))

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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))

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• 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.

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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.