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Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2024 Preliminary Data (January-December)

Aerial image of a crosswalk with pedestrians
July 10, 2025

Drivers struck and killed 7,148 people walking in the United States in 2024, down 4.3% from the year before and the second annual decline, but nearly 20% higher than the 2016 level.

Overview

GHSA's analysis of preliminary data provided by State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) found that U.S. drivers struck and killed 7,148 pedestrians in 2024, enough to fill more than 30 Boeing 737 jets at maximum capacity. Year-over-year, pedestrian deaths were down 4.3%, the second consecutive annual decline. However, pedestrian fatalities remain nearly 20% above the 2016 level and reached a 40-year high in 2022.

The new report also includes an in-depth analysis of 2023 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that reaffirms troubling trends regarding deaths of people on foot happening in hit-and-runs, at night, in crashes with SUVs and pickups, and where there are no sidewalks.

To help address this pedestrian safety crisis, GHSA supports a holistic solution that establishes a multi-layered safety net that can protect everyone on the road. A key part of this safety net is traffic enforcement focused on dangerous driving behaviors – like speeding, and impaired or distracted driving – that put people on foot in danger across the country.

GHSA will hold a webinar on July 31, 2025, to share an overview of the data and highlight unique approaches states are taking to pedestrian safety.

Explore the Data

Key Findings & Trends

  • Pedestrian deaths are increasing at a rate far faster than overall traffic fatalities. Between 2009 and 2023, pedestrian deaths rose a staggering 80%, while all other traffic fatalities increased 13%.
  • One in four pedestrian deaths (25%) is the result of a hit-and-run crash. In these fatal hit-and-runs, the vehicle that struck the pedestrian was the fleeing vehicle the vast majority (94%) of the time.
  • The share of pedestrian deaths caused by SUVs and pickups has surged in recent years. Light trucks accounted for 54% of pedestrian fatalities where a vehicle type was known in 2023, compared to 37% for passenger cars.
  • More than three-quarters of pedestrian fatalities occur after dark. The share of nighttime deaths has skyrocketed recently. Fatal pedestrian crashes at night rose 84% between 2010 and 2023, compared to a 28% increase in daytime fatalities.
  • Nearly two-thirds (65%) of pedestrian deaths occurred in locations without a sidewalk in 2023. Sidewalks can help protect people walking by providing a physical separation between them and motor vehicle traffic, but they are missing or in poor condition in many parts of the country.

Roadway Safety Tenets

GHSA has issued three key tenets to guide Congressional work on the next surface transportation reauthorization bill, to maximize the impact of behavioral safety programs and save more lives.

The second straight year of fewer pedestrian deaths is a step in the right direction, but much more must be done to protect people walking. Now is the time to double down on what works – more and better infrastructure, enforcement to deter dangerous driving behaviors, engaged and informed communities, and vehicles designed to protect people on foot. An all-in strategy to address pedestrian safety will help us build on this recent momentum and save even more lives.

Jonathan Adkins
GHSA CEO

Infographics

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Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, 2024 Preliminary Data (January-December)
Infographic showing the disproportionate danger to pedestrians on U.S. roads
Pedestrian vs All Other Traffic Deaths

Related Resources

Federal Research Projects
Term raw: Federal Research Projects | Slug: federal-research-projects
June 24, 2025

Assessing Effects of Speed Camera Programs on Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes (BTS-47)

The objectives of this research are to (1) develop an understanding of the effects of speed camera programs on pedestrian and bicycle crashes, and (2) provide guidance for jurisdictions to measure effects of speed camera programs on pedestrian and bicycle crashes, including downstream effects beyond speed camera locations. The research should consider fine structures, payment of fines, and in which contexts speed cameras may be most effective. Findings can be used states and jurisdictions (1) to help decide if and where to implement speed cameras most effectively to target vulnerable road user crashes and (2) to communicate the benefits of speed cameras to the public.