Drivers in the United States killed more pedestrians in 2022 than in any year since 1981
Cars are great and all, but there’s no denying the fact that driving a 4,000-pound block of metal can be dangerous. Both with other car occupants, as well as non-car occupants. Unfortunately for pedestrians in the US, while other developed countries continue to be safer, America continues to be more dangerous. And last year, the number of pedestrian deaths rose to levels not seen since the introduction of the BMW 5 Series E28.
The latest report from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association claims that drivers have killed at least 7,508 pedestrians in the United States by 2022. That in itself is disturbing enough, but bad. worse when you know that since 2010, pedestrian deaths have increased by 77%, while 25% for all other traffic-related deaths. So, although our roads have generally become more dangerous, they are especially dangerous for pedestrians. Additionally, the pedestrian mortality rate per billion miles traveled increased from 2.32 to 2.37.
The report includes data from 49 states, as well as Washington, DC, but due to a confirmed technical issue, does not include Oklahoma. Using past data from Oklahoma, it seems likely that the total number of pedestrians actually killed last year was at least 7,600.
“Every day 20 people go for a walk and don’t come back home. These are the people who lived their everyday lives — going to school and work, grocery shopping, walking the dog, exercising — who died suddenly and violently,” GHSA CEO , Jonathan Adkins, said in a statement. “The saddest thing is that these incidents are preventable. We know what works – better designed infrastructure, lower speeds, tackling dangerous driving behaviors that endanger pedestrians. We must do these things and more to reverse this terrible trend and protect pedestrians. Enough is enough.”
And while it could be easy to blame this increase on both motorists and pedestrians using mobile phones, it’s important to remember that other developed countries also have mobile phones. However, they did not see the same increase in pedestrian deaths. If we really want to make our roads safer, we’ll have to do more than complain about cell phone use. Unfortunately for drivers, that can mean making changes that don’t necessarily prioritize moving as many vehicles as quickly as possible from one place to another, especially in areas with high traffic congestion. Walker.
The good news is that the report also highlights some of the things different states are doing to really get us there. For example, Florida passed a law in 2021 requiring the state’s driver education bank to include at least 25 questions focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety. And Hawaii has begun working with homeless outreach coordinators to get feedback on areas of concern and traffic calming measures. Several other states, including California, Maine, New Jersey and South Carolina have also begun using plainclothes officers to identify motorists who are not yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks to prevent pedestrians from crossing the street. officers standing in the street can stop them.
States are also changing their infrastructure to make it safer for pedestrians. They are adding roadside diets to force drivers to slow down, as well as pedestrian shelter islands at crosswalks and better lighting and signage to increase traffic. visibility.
None of these solutions are perfect, but they can certainly help. In fact, a large number of states were actually able to reduce pedestrian deaths between 2021 and 2022. So while Arizona, Virginia and Oregon have at least 40 increased deaths, compared with the same period last year, California, South Carolina and New Jersey have seen at least 20 deaths. In fact, many states have lower total deaths than those with increases.
If you are interested, You can read the full GHSA report here.
