The Role of Public Health Policy in Preventing Tourist and Pedestrian Injuries

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Pedestrian injuries are one of the most preventable (but commonly occurring) public health issues facing Americans today.

Across the country thousands of tourists and residents are hit by cars each year in high-traffic areas. The statistics don’t lie. Drivers hit and killed 7,148 pedestrians in the U.S. in 2024 alone.

But did you know that strong public health policy can drastically reduce these types of injuries? And that as a tourist visiting a busy city, knowing how these policies work could help you avoid becoming another statistic?

What you’ll cover:

• Why Public Health Policy Is Important for Pedestrian Safety
• Why Tourists Are at Higher Risk of Injury
• Understanding Your Travel Injury Medical Expenses Recovery Options
• 4 Key Public Health Policies That Help Prevent Tourist & Pedestrian Injuries

Why Public Health Policy Is Important for Pedestrian Safety

On the surface, pedestrian safety might not seem directly related to public health policy.

But here’s the thing…

If you really want to understand how injuries are prevented, you have to start at the policy level. Most pedestrian deaths aren’t simply bad luck. They’re caused by poorly designed roads, reckless driving and a complete lack of consequence.

That’s where public health policies come into play. By enforcing certain rules and guidelines, government at every level can protect pedestrians from injury.

Speed limits, better crosswalk visibility and well-designed traffic flow all contribute to safer sidewalks. When cities take pedestrian safety seriously through legislation and policy the results start to show.

New York City’s Vision Zero initiative is a prime example. In 2025 the city reported the lowest number of traffic fatalities since they began keeping track. And it’s all thanks to strong public health policy designed to prevent these types of injuries.

Why Tourists Are at Higher Risk of Injury

Tourists visiting any city are at a higher risk of pedestrian injury than locals.

It’s just simple logic. Out-of-towners are less familiar with traffic patterns, more distracted by their surroundings and unaware of dangers locals know to avoid.

Think about it.

You’re walking through Times Square absorbing every aspect of the bustling city around you. You’re not paying attention to the painted walk signal telling you when it’s safe to cross. You walk right into the street because you assume vehicles will stop for you. Pedestrian injuries like these happen all the time to unsuspecting tourists.

And when injuries do happen to visitors, recovering travel injury medical expenses can feel like an impossible task. Visiting foreigners are often completely unprepared to deal with a foreign healthcare system. A single trip to the ER in America can run over $2,000 if you have no insurance. Serious injuries can easily rack up bills into the six-figure range. Pursuing injury claims for NYC tourists is usually the most realistic path to recovering these costs and getting proper compensation.

That’s why every person visiting a major city should understand both the laws that are in place to keep them safe and their legal options should the worst happen.

Understanding Your Travel Injury Medical Expenses Recovery Options

No one plans on getting injured while on vacation. But if you’re hit by a car or wrongfully injured as a pedestrian, you need to know your options for travel injury medical expenses recovery.

Let’s lay something out there…

The United States healthcare system is extremely expensive. That means tourists who are injured as pedestrians are just as liable for hospital bills as anyone else that lives here. Without travel medical insurance to cover an injury, visitors are on the hook for paying those costs themselves.

That’s why every tourist should know these three options for injury compensation:

• Obtain travel medical insurance before your trip.
• Understand your ability to recoup these costs through an injury claim if someone else was at fault.
• Prepare to pay for your injuries out-of-pocket.

The more you know about your options before an accident happens, the better off you’ll be. Don’t let your vacation turn into a devastating financial disaster.

4 Key Public Health Policies That Help Prevent Tourist & Pedestrian Injuries

Cities across America have very different approaches to pedestrian safety.

But the most effective public health policies are rooted in a few fundamental principles. Here are four key ways legislators can prevent pedestrian injuries.

1. Speed Reduction Programs

Speeding is a death sentence for pedestrians.

The faster a vehicle is going when it hits a pedestrian, the less likely that person is to survive the collision. That’s why speed reduction policies have such a large impact on injury prevention.

New York City’s speed camera program is a leading example of policy made reality. Since installing automated speed cameras around NYC, deadly speeding accidents have decreased by over 90% at key intersections. Lives are literally being saved because of strong public health policy.

2. Better Crosswalk and Intersection Design

You know where most pedestrian injuries occur?

At intersections. New Yorkers get hit in crosswalks every day because they’re not designed with pedestrian safety in mind.

The CDC reported roughly 140,000 emergency department visits involving pedestrian crash injuries in 2022. That number can be cut down with better designed intersections that include:

• Leading pedestrian intervals
• Daylighting
• Protected pedestrian crossing signals

3. Investing In Pedestrian Infrastructure

Here’s something that often gets overlooked…

Sidewalks, pedestrian-only plazas, proper lighting and even physical barriers between vehicles and walkers help keep people safe. Cities that have redesigned streets using this philosophy have seen pedestrian injuries reduced by up to 45%.

Pedestrian infrastructure is one of the most effective long-term investments a city can make. And the data proves it works.

4. Public Awareness and Education Campaigns

Public health campaigns aren’t just for disease prevention.

They should always be in place to keep pedestrians informed and aware of dangerous behaviors.

Educating tourists on traffic patterns and proper pedestrian laws can go a long way towards injury prevention. Signage at intersections, distributed literature or even digital advertising can make a difference.

Websites like NYC’s Vision Zero campaign allow visitors to study safety policies at their leisure before they even set foot in the city.

Bringing It All Together

So there you have it. Public health policy plays a huge role in preventing tourist and pedestrian injuries.

Strong speed reduction programs, safety campaigns, infrastructure investments and smart intersection design have all been proven to reduce injury rates.

But it doesn’t stop there. Anyone injured as a pedestrian while visiting a city needs to know their options for travel injury medical expenses recovery. That starts with:

• Planning ahead with the proper travel insurance
• Knowing your city’s safety policies before walking out the door
• Understanding your legal rights should an accident happen