Vehicles are nice and all, however there’s no getting round the truth that piloting a 4,000-pound hunk of steel may be harmful. Each to individuals in different automobiles, in addition to individuals who aren’t in automobiles. Sadly for pedestrians within the U.S., whereas different developed international locations proceed to get safer, the U.S. continues to get extra harmful. And final 12 months, pedestrian deaths rose to a degree not seen for the reason that E28 BMW 5 Sequence was launched.
The Governors Freeway Security Affiliation’s newest report claims that drivers killed not less than 7,508 pedestrians within the U.S. in 2022. That’s disturbing sufficient by itself, nevertheless it will get worse if you study that since 2010, pedestrian deaths have jumped 77 %, whereas 25 % for all different traffic-related deaths. So whereas our roads have gotten extra harmful general, they’re significantly harmful for pedestrians. Moreover, the pedestrian fatality price per billion miles traveled elevated but once more from 2.32 to 2.37.
The report consists of information from 49 states, in addition to Washington, D.C. however attributable to a claimed technical challenge, it doesn’t embody Oklahoma. Utilizing previous information from Oklahoma, it’s probably that the precise whole variety of pedestrians killed final 12 months is not less than 7,600.
“Each day, 20 individuals go for a stroll and don’t return residence. These are individuals residing their every day lives – commuting to and from college and work, choosing up groceries, strolling the canine, getting some train – who died abruptly and violently,” mentioned GHSA Chief Govt Officer Jonathan Adkins in an announcement. “The saddest half is that these crashes are preventable. We all know what works – better-designed infrastructure, decrease speeds, addressing dangerous driving behaviors that pose a hazard to individuals strolling. We should do these items and extra to reverse this terrible pattern and defend individuals on foot. Sufficient is sufficient.”
And whereas it’s simple responsible these will increase on each drivers and pedestrians utilizing their cell telephones, it’s necessary to keep in mind that different developed international locations have cell telephones, too. But, they’re not seeing the identical will increase in pedestrian deaths. If we need to really make our roads safer, we’re going to should do greater than complain about cellular phone use. Sadly for drivers, that probably means making adjustments that don’t essentially prioritize transferring as many automobiles as quick as attainable from one place to a different, particularly in areas the place pedestrians are current.
The excellent news is, the report additionally highlights a number of issues that totally different states are doing to truly get us there. For instance, Florida handed a regulation in 2021 that requires the state driver training check financial institution to incorporate not less than 25 questions which can be centered on bicycle and pedestrian security. And Hawaii has begun working with homelessness outreach coordinators to get suggestions on areas of concern and site visitors calming measures. A number of different states, together with California, Maine, New Jersey, and South Carolina have additionally began utilizing plainclothes officers to establish drivers who don’t yield to pedestrians in crosswalks so officers stationed down the street can cease them.
States are additionally altering their infrastructure to make it safer for pedestrians. They’re including street diets to pressure drivers to decelerate, in addition to pedestrian refuge islands in crosswalks and higher lighting and signage to extend visibility.
None of those are excellent options, however they will undoubtedly assist. In actual fact, a lot of states had been really capable of scale back the variety of pedestrian fatalities between 2021 and 2022. So whereas Arizona, Virginia and Oregon noticed fatalities improve by not less than 40 year-over-year, California, South Carolina and New Jersey noticed not less than 20 fewer fatalities. In actual fact, extra states noticed decrease whole fatalities than those who noticed a rise.
For those who’re , you’ll be able to learn the entire GHSA report right here.
