When it comes to traffic fatalities, Seattle is doing well compared to most North American cities. The New York City Department of Transportation recently studied impacts of traffic accidents, including fatal pedestrian accidents, and found that it's more dangerous to traverse Detroit than Seattle. But it's safer still in Portland and New York:

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The folks over here claim that each of these were pedestrian deaths—using an info graphic that depicts each death with a pair of empty shoes (sniffle)—but it's not that bad. Actual pedestrian deaths were lower. "Pedestrians accounted for 52% of traffic fatalities from 2005-2009," the NYC DOT reports. But when you consider "all the vulnerable roadway users"—motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians—they make up 71 percent of New York City’s traffic fatalities. You can read the whole report, which is pretty neat, in this .pdf. Among other improvements, they recommend installing 1,500 more countdown crosswalk signals and re-engineering 60 miles of streets.