Pedestrians account for 12 percent of road deaths nationally. But only 1.5 percent of federal road funds go to creating safer alternatives for people on foot.

The number of pedestrians killed over the past 10 years is roughly the same as if a jumbo jet had crashed once a month over that time frame.

More than 688,000 people were struck and injured in the period studied, the equivalent of one every seven minutes.

Children, older people, and minorities are disproportionately affected.

The majority of deaths happen on "arterial" roads -- ones that offer minimal or no accommodation for people not protected by a car's metal shell.

In many parts of the country, pedestrian fatalities have gone up, even as other road deaths have fallen.

Government officials are constantly telling us to get out and exercise. But many people know the roads and streets where they live make that unsafe.

Fixing the problems could be relatively inexpensive, but funds to do so are under attack in the current Congress.

Members of both parties in the House and Senate have introduced the Complete Streets Bill of 2011, which calls for streets that are safe for all users.

Deadly streets are not inevitable. We are all pedestrians.