They account for the vast majority -- about 71 percent -- of all such fatalities each year. Roughly a third occur in dark, unlighted conditions, while the other approximately 40 percent are reported near streetlights or other dark, lighted conditions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records lighting conditions in its traffic fatality database. We compiled data on cyclist and pedestrian fatalities occurring between 2015 and 2017 showing how totals for different lighting conditions vary across jurisdictions.
This table shows total pedestrian/cyclist deaths and per capita fatality rates for metro areas with populations exceeding 200,000:
| Metro Area | Average Annual Fatalities in Dark Conditions Per 100K | Total Dark | Dark Not Lighted | Dark Lighted | Dark Unknown Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, LA | 4.3 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 0 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 3.1 | 54 | 30 | 23 | 1 |
| Chico, CA | 2.9 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Florence, SC | 3.6 | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 3.7 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 0 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | 3.2 | 61 | 44 | 17 | 0 |
| Ocala, FL | 3.3 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 0 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 3.6 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 0 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 3.3 | 88 | 43 | 43 | 2 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL | 3.4 | 49 | 40 | 9 | 0 |
| North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 2.8 | 67 | 28 | 38 | 1 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 3.2 | 291 | 85 | 206 | 0 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC | 3.1 | 42 | 27 | 8 | 7 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 3.2 | 143 | 50 | 90 | 3 |
| Macon-Bibb County, GA | 2.7 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| Monroe, LA | 3.4 | 21 | 8 | 12 | 1 |
| Tyler, TX | 3.1 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| Visalia, CA | 2.7 | 38 | 15 | 22 | 1 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 3.3 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 0 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 3.1 | 226 | 102 | 122 | 2 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA | 3.0 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Stockton, CA | 2.5 | 56 | 23 | 32 | 1 |
| Wilmington, NC | 2.7 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 2.9 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 0 |
| Salisbury, MD-DE | 2.8 | 31 | 22 | 9 | 0 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | 2.6 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 |
| Lubbock, TX | 3.3 | 30 | 17 | 13 | 0 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 2.7 | 73 | 30 | 42 | 1 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 2.4 | 430 | 91 | 335 | 4 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC | 2.4 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Merced, CA | 2.6 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 2.7 | 35 | 15 | 20 | 0 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 2.8 | 65 | 29 | 26 | 10 |
| Modesto, CA | 2.5 | 40 | 18 | 22 | 0 |
| Waco, TX | 3.1 | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 3.2 | 37 | 28 | 8 | 1 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2.3 | 322 | 50 | 227 | 45 |
| Mobile, AL | 2.7 | 33 | 13 | 20 | 0 |
| Gainesville, FL | 2.3 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 2.5 | 99 | 24 | 73 | 2 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 2.4 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | 2.4 | 52 | 33 | 19 | 0 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | 2.2 | 144 | 13 | 129 | 2 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 2.2 | 54 | 30 | 23 | 1 |
| Flint, MI | 2.4 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 0 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | 2.2 | 44 | 26 | 16 | 2 |
| Greenville-Anderson, SC | 2.6 | 69 | 45 | 19 | 5 |
| Savannah, GA | 2.3 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 0 |
| Fresno, CA | 2.4 | 70 | 29 | 38 | 3 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 2.2 | 151 | 54 | 96 | 1 |
| Spartanburg, SC | 2.2 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 2.2 | 34 | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| Yakima, WA | 2.3 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2.3 | 168 | 58 | 105 | 5 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 2.3 | 308 | 152 | 152 | 4 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 2.2 | 26 | 10 | 15 | 1 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 2.0 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 1 |
| Charleston, WV | 2.1 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Amarillo, TX | 2.0 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Columbia, SC | 2.3 | 56 | 34 | 13 | 9 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 1.7 | 61 | 23 | 36 | 2 |
| Tucson, AZ | 1.8 | 56 | 28 | 26 | 2 |
| Longview, TX | 2.2 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 |
| Reno, NV | 2.1 | 29 | 6 | 23 | 0 |
| Lafayette, LA | 2.0 | 29 | 16 | 11 | 2 |
| Jackson, MS | 2.3 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 0 |
| Salinas, CA | 1.9 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
| Vallejo, CA | 2.1 | 28 | 7 | 21 | 0 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1.8 | 731 | 123 | 598 | 10 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 2.1 | 73 | 39 | 31 | 3 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 2.0 | 409 | 224 | 180 | 5 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 2.0 | 347 | 231 | 114 | 2 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 1.8 | 76 | 41 | 34 | 1 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 1.9 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 0 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 1.1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 1.7 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 2.0 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 0 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | 1.2 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 1.7 | 107 | 49 | 55 | 3 |
| El Paso, TX | 1.5 | 39 | 17 | 22 | 0 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 1.6 | 163 | 59 | 100 | 4 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 1.8 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 0 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 1.5 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 0 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 1.8 | 231 | 75 | 156 | 0 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 1.5 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| Springfield, MO | 1.7 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 |
| Tulsa, OK | 1.8 | 49 | 36 | 13 | 0 |
| Montgomery, AL | 1.7 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 1.6 | 53 | 30 | 23 | 0 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1.3 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| Medford, OR | 1.6 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 1.7 | 44 | 29 | 15 | 0 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 1.4 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1.7 | 356 | 152 | 198 | 6 |
| Anchorage, AK | 1.5 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 |
| Huntsville, AL | 1.7 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 1.6 | 95 | 60 | 34 | 1 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 1.5 | 126 | 57 | 69 | 0 |
| Asheville, NC | 1.5 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 1.3 | 79 | 19 | 58 | 2 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 1.6 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 1.5 | 52 | 27 | 24 | 1 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 1.5 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 1.5 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1.4 | 258 | 96 | 160 | 2 |
| Roanoke, VA | 1.3 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 1.3 | 112 | 53 | 59 | 0 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1.5 | 108 | 48 | 59 | 1 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1.3 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| Richmond, VA | 1.4 | 52 | 39 | 12 | 1 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 1.3 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 1.2 | 164 | 56 | 108 | 0 |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | 1.0 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Knoxville, TN | 1.3 | 31 | 16 | 15 | 0 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 1.4 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Boulder, CO | 0.8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 1.3 | 95 | 35 | 58 | 2 |
| Las Cruces, NM | 1.7 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Wichita, KS | 0.9 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 1.4 | 73 | 30 | 43 | 0 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 1.1 | 670 | 110 | 558 | 2 |
| Laredo, TX | 1.3 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| New Haven-Milford, CT | 1.2 | 32 | 10 | 22 | 0 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 1.3 | 112 | 27 | 85 | 0 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 1.0 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Rockford, IL | 1.5 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 1.4 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 1.1 | 34 | 6 | 28 | 0 |
| Dayton-Kettering, OH | 1.4 | 34 | 14 | 20 | 0 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1.4 | 73 | 25 | 47 | 1 |
| Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI | 1.1 | 36 | 14 | 22 | 0 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 1.1 | 27 | 12 | 15 | 0 |
| Salem, OR | 1.4 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Fort Collins, CO | 1.1 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 1.0 | 45 | 13 | 32 | 0 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 1.0 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Toledo, OH | 1.2 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 1.2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 1.0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 1.3 | 29 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 1.1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 1.0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Syracuse, NY | 1.0 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 0 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 0.9 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 0 |
| Springfield, MA | 1.1 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 0 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1.2 | 47 | 35 | 12 | 0 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 1.4 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| Columbus, OH | 1.2 | 66 | 31 | 35 | 0 |
| Bellingham, WA | 0.5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 1.1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 1.0 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | 0.8 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 1.1 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 0.7 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 1.1 | 66 | 35 | 31 | 0 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 0.9 | 258 | 117 | 139 | 2 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | 1.3 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Evansville, IN-KY | 1.2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Erie, PA | 0.7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 0.7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 0.9 | 103 | 22 | 81 | 0 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 0.9 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 0.8 | 40 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 0.8 | 22 | 8 | 13 | 1 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 1.0 | 177 | 68 | 100 | 9 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 0.9 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 0 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 1.0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Binghamton, NY | 1.0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 0.9 | 60 | 32 | 27 | 1 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 0.9 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY | 0.9 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 1.0 | 34 | 9 | 25 | 0 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 1.0 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 0 |
| Rochester, NY | 0.7 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 0.5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 0.9 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Green Bay, WI | 0.3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Madison, WI | 0.5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Ogden-Clearfield, UT | 0.7 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT | 0.7 | 26 | 5 | 21 | 0 |
| Lancaster, PA | 0.8 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 0.7 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH | 0.8 | 47 | 11 | 36 | 0 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 1.1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Akron, OH | 0.6 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 1.1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 0.7 | 98 | 31 | 64 | 3 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | 0.7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 0.8 | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 |
| Greeley, CO | 0.9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 0.7 | 46 | 15 | 31 | 0 |
| Norwich-New London, CT | 0.6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA | 0.7 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 0.6 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| Peoria, IL | 0.9 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Canton-Massillon, OH | 0.9 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Provo-Orem, UT | 0.3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Reading, PA | 0.6 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Boise City, ID | 0.7 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | 0.6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 0.5 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 0.6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 0.7 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Charlottesville, VA | 0.6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 0.6 | 57 | 9 | 45 | 3 |
| Lincoln, NE | 0.6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Yuma, AZ | 0.6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 0.2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
County, Metro Area Fatalities By Lighting Condition
National Traffic Fatality Trends
Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities occurring in all lighting conditions have generally climbed in recent years, but the largest increases are occurring after sunset. Between 2010 and 2017, annual fatalities in dark conditions (both lighted and unlighted) jumped by 46 percent. Over the same period, they rose only 15 percent in daylight. Totals for dawn (+33 percent) and dusk (+43 percent) lighting conditions also increased significantly, although they accounted for just a few hundred such traffic deaths.Accordingly, the share of all fatalities occurring in dark conditions is slowly rising, climbing from to nearly 72 percent in 2017 from 67 percent in 2010 and 65 percent in 2007.
