If you ever wondered how many pedestrian deaths there are per year in the United States, 6,000 is the depressing statistic, and it does not seem to be getting better.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2017, marking the second year in a row at numbers not seen in 25 years…
“Two consecutive years of 6,000 pedestrian deaths is a red flag for all of us in the traffic safety community. These high levels are no longer a blip but unfortunately a sustained trend,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins explains. “We can’t afford to let this be the new normal.”
States reported a total of 2,636 pedestrian fatalities for the first six months of 2017. Adjusting the raw data based on past data trends, GHSA projects that pedestrian deaths in 2017 will total 5,984, essentially unchanged from 2016, in which 5,987 people on foot lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes. Pedestrians now account for approximately 16% of all motor vehicle deaths, compared with 11% just a few years ago.
The worst state for pedestrians, at close to double the national average death rate? Arizona.
They go on to speculate, without providing evidence, that cell phones and legalized marijuana might explain these trends. Interesting, although there are some studies suggesting that marijuana legalization has not impacted traffic deaths, and at least some that contrary to all expectations it has decreased them. I’m not saying drive stoned. I’m just saying the governors may be making a claim not only without providing evidence to back it up, but contrary to evidence that already exists and is very easy to look up. If I were going to speculate on causes of the increased death rate without doing any research, I would go with increased driving spurred by the economic upturn and relatively low gas prices, coupled with the continuation of low-density car-dependent urban design, ignorance of and consequent failure to adopt safer street design practices that have been known and applied elsewhere in the world for decades.