Rising Number of , Pedestrian Deaths, Signals Alarming Trend.
NBC reports that in 2020, the United States
had the highest number of pedestrian
fatalities in nearly 40 years.
NBC reports that in 2020, the United States
had the highest number of pedestrian
fatalities in nearly 40 years.
According to the Governors Highway
Safety Association, pedestrian deaths
have skyrocketed by 77% since 2010.
The report found that approximately
20 people in the U.S. die every
day while walking in the street.
According to road safety experts, several
factors have contributed to the alarming trend.
Those factors include an increase in reckless
driving since the pandemic, more large vehicles on
the road and infrastructure not suited to pedestrians.
It has been getting worse every year.
We’ve focused so much on making vehicles
safer for the people inside, but we’ve sort
of lost track of what we are doing for
the folks outside vehicles to
really address their safety, Pam Shadel Fischer, Senior director of external engagement at the Governors Highway Safety Association, via NBC.
NBC reports that the pandemic saw
an increase in recklessness like
speeding and texting while driving.
In 2021, the report found that
drivers were speeding in 8%
of pedestrian deaths.
According to a Traffic Safety Administration
report, 3,522 people were killed
by distracted drivers in 2021.
The GHSA report also found that 69% of pedestrian fatalities
occurred on roads that lacked sidewalks in 2021, pointing to
outdated infrastructure unfit for increasing suburban populations