MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - If it feels like Murfreesboro has way too many pedestrian‑involved crashes, there's more to that than you might imagine. A recent analysis of national crash data shows Tennessee now ranks #2 in the nation for pedestrian hit‑and‑run incidents based on NHTSA FARS data that was analyzed by Kuzyk Law. That’s not a ranking anyone wants to brag about.
The study, conducted using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, looked at five years of hit‑and‑run data, calculating crashes per million residents and year‑over‑year changes. New Mexico topped the list with a risk score of 62.06 out of 100. Tennessee followed close behind at 45.47 — a number that hits hard when you think about the number of local pedestrian accidents in Murfreesboro.
Not wanting to sweep this shocking information under the rug, but this city is in that awkward growth phase where population, traffic volume, and road design not always being aligned. More people are walking to schools, parks, bus stops, and along the booming commercial corridors — but many of the roads they’re walking along were built decades ago for lower speeds and lighter traffic. Add in multi‑lane arterials like Memorial, Old Fort, Broad, and Rutherford Boulevard, and even a moment of inattention can turn into a call for Murfreesboro Police and Rutherford County Emergency Medical Services (the ambulance).
Locally, the hotspots are exactly where you’d expect: Broad Street, Old Fort Parkway, Memorial near the commercial clusters, and around the MTSU campus. High foot traffic meets high vehicle traffic--the risks climb.
And yes — it feels constant because you’re tuned in. Every MPD news release, every WGNS alert, every scanner call lands in your awareness zone. Combine that with a city that ranks as the 16th fastest growing city with a population over 100,000 in the entire USA, and the incidents stack up in your mind.
In a fast‑growing city like Murfreesboro, where busy corridors and rising traffic put walkers and drivers in close quarters, crashes involving pedestrians can feel all too common — but the solutions are well within reach. When a city’s traffic engineers focus on calmer speeds, brighter lighting, safer crossings, and designs that force drivers to slow down and pay attention, the streets become more predictable for everyone. Pair that with strong enforcement and better tools to identify drivers who flee, and the community starts to see fewer close calls and fewer hit‑and‑runs — a reminder that smart design really can make a growing city feel safer.
