Its not safe to be a pedestrian on the road.
Although the number of traffic deaths decreased by six percent from 2008-2017, the number of pedestrian deaths increased by 35 percent during the same period, according to a February report by the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The number of pedestrian fatalities in 2018 is projected to be 6,227, which is a four percent increase from 2017. That would be the highest number since the U.S. has seen since 1990.
However, Washington state saw a decrease in the number of pedestrian deaths from January-June of 2017-2018. The report's preliminary adjusted number of pedestrian fatalities was 44 in 2018, which was a 4 percent decrease from the number of deaths in 2017.
The overall increase of pedestrian deaths may be linked to changes in population growth, economic conditions and the amount of time people spend walking, which are outside of official traffic safety control.
The increase in the number of sales of light trucks instead of passenger cars may also be a factor, because the truck’s impact with a pedestrian is more severe.
Smartphone use by both pedestrians and drivers may also be a factor, but the GHSA report said there was not enough evidence to be certain because of investigators' inability to record momentary distraction before a crash. However, the number of emergency room visits for cellphone-related injuries in general has gone up.
Five states made up 46 percent of all pedestrian deaths in the nation during the first six months of 2018. They were California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Georgia. However, they only make up 33 percent of the total U.S. population according to the 2018 U.S. Census.
Washington state was on the lower end for rate of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people (0.59 per 100,000) during the first six months of 2018. New Mexico had the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities (2.26 per 100,000) and New Hampshire had the lowest rate during that time (0.07 per 100,000).
In 2017, 75 percent of the pedestrian deaths happened after dark, according to the report. Most of the pedestrian fatalities happened on local streets (35 percent) rather than state or U.S. Highways (25 percent and 16 percent, respectively).
Surprisingly, the report found that only 26 percent of fatal collisions happened at intersections or were intersection related, while 72 percent of fatal collisions did not happen at intersections.
The report also examined the role of alcohol in pedestrian deaths. It estimated that 32 percent of pedestrians and 17 percent of drivers had Blood Alcohol Levels greater than or equal to 0.08 grams per deciliter in fatal pedestrian crashes in 2017.
According to the report, cities in Washington state have added a few pedestrian safety design features to its roadways like extending sidewalks with curb bulb-outs, adding protected left turn lanes and implementing crosswalk intervals.
