Do Denser Neighborhoods Have Safer Streets? Population Density and Traffic Safety in the Philadelphia Region

Abstract

This study uses multilevel negative binomial models to investigate relationships between neighborhood socio-demographics, urban form, roadway characteristics, traffic collisions, injuries, and fatalities on the Philadelphia region’s streets from 2010 to 2014. We pay particular attention to neighborhood population density. Results indicate that streets in denser neighborhoods have fewer overall collisions, injuries, and fatalities. The association with pedestrian safety is mixed and somewhat uncertain across urban areas and model specifications. This study highlights the importance of population density in traffic safety and helps explain some of the variation in findings across studies examining the relationship between urban form and pedestrian safety.