U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Near 6,000 for Second Straight Year, Report Says
Level is highest in decades, accounting for 16% of all motor-vehicle deaths
Source: WSJ
By Scott Calvert
Feb. 28, 2018
Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. last year for the second straight year, according to a new report that said such levels previously hadn’t been seen in decades.
“We really have to have a much better focus toward pedestrian safety,” said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the nonprofit Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway-safety offices and announced the findings Wednesday.
Pedestrians accounted for about 16% of motor-vehicle deaths in 2016, compared to 11% in 2007, according to the report, which is based on data from highway departments from 50 states and Washington, D.C. Prior to 2016, the last time pedestrians accounted for such a large share of traffic fatalities was in 1983.
“We shouldn’t be seeing these big spikes,” Mr. Adkins said, even accounting for population growth, more cars on the road and an increased societal emphasis on walking and healthy living.
The report suggests various factors contributed in the increase, including the proliferation of smartphones and legalized recreational marijuana use, but doesn’t claim “a definitive link.” It also points to excessive drinking as a contributor.
The best way to reduce pedestrian deaths, Mr. Adkins said, is to reduce speeding through lower speed limits and stricter enforcement. New York City took such steps, he said, and the report notes a sharp decrease in pedestrian injuries in areas where that had been a problem.
The report, written by Richard Retting of Sam Schwartz Consulting, estimates 5,984 people died on foot last year from car crashes, based on the 2,636 fatalities that states reported in the first half of 2017. In 2016, there were 5,987 pedestrian deaths nationwide, it said. The number of annual pedestrian deaths remained under 5,000 from 2007 to 2014, the report said, but has been trending higher since 2009.
Mr. Adkins said alcohol use is a “clear factor” in the rising death toll, noting that about a third of pedestrians killed in 2016 were legally drunk at the time. He called for public messaging akin to anti-drunk-driving campaigns. “If you’re too hammered to drive, you’re too hammered to walk, particularly at night,” he said.
The reported number of smartphones in active use in the U.S. rose 236% from 2010 to 2016, the report said, and it cited an increase in “cell phone-related” emergency room visits.
On marijuana, the report noted a 16.4% increase in pedestrian fatalities during the first half of 2017 in the seven states and Washington that legalized recreational marijuana use between 2012 and 2016. By contrast, all other states experienced a combined 5.8% decrease in pedestrian deaths over that span.
“At a minimum, it raises some questions,” Mr. Adkins said.