Walking: Most dangerous way to travel in US

The Surface Transportation Policy Project, a national transportation reform coalition based in Washington, D.C., this week released the results of its latest two-year study of pedestrian safety in the United States—a report called ‘‘Mean Streets 2004.’’

The coalition said walking is ‘‘by far’’ the most dangerous mode of travel per mile in the US. The fatality rate for public transit is 0.75 deaths per 100 million miles, while the rate is 1.3 in passenger cars and trucks, 7.3 on airliners—and 20.1 for pedestrians.

The rankings are based on what the Surface Transportation Policy Project calls a ‘‘Pedestrian Danger Index.’’ It is determined based on the number of annual pedestrian fatalities per 100,000, as well as the per cent of the population that commutes by walking. Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, Miami and Memphis, ranked as the five deadliest metros. —LAT-WP