Bicyclists and Pedestrians

A new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals the COVID-19 pandemic’s deadly impact on traffic safety in the United States. Researchers at the AAA Foundation found dangerous behaviors like speeding, not using seatbelts, and impaired driving contributed to a significant rise in fatal crashes compared to pre-pandemic times. Notably, the new research highlights a disparity in the pandemic’s impact on traffic safety. Black and Hispanic Americans, already disproportionately affected by traffic fatalities, saw even more significant increases from 2020 through 2022.

Pedestrian traffic deaths nationwide dropped for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary data released last month. But pedestrian deaths still remain at near historic highs, leaving many transportation officials and safety advocates searching for why the numbers have been climbing and what to do about it. Speaking at an Amazon Web Services conference this week, Mike Arellano, deputy district director for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Austin District, said he receives “sobering” traffic fatality reports at 5 a.m.

Police say a common theme is playing out with this year’s increase in fatal crashes: excessively high speeds, lack of seat belts and impaired drivers, sometimes all three at once. While police place the blame on drivers’ risky behaviors, an analysis by The Star found that police traffic enforcement efforts to curb unsafe behavior have been declining for years.

The Kansas City Star

Story by Robert A. Cronkleton
July 7, 2024

The number of U.S. pedestrians killed in traffic crashes declined for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2023, according to a new report. Still, fatalities remain far above pre-pandemic levels. The Governors Highway Safety Association estimated that 7,318 pedestrians died in vehicle crashes last year, a 5.4% decrease from the year before. But that number is still 14.1% higher than it was in 2019. Even with the lower numbers, roughly 20 pedestrians die every day in the U.S.

Pedestrian traffic fatalities in the U.S. totaled 7,318 people in 2023, according to preliminary data released June 26 by the Governors Highway Safety Association, representing a 5.4% decline from the prior year. While noted as “welcome news” by GHSA, last year’s total is 14.1% above the pre-pandemic level in 2019. Pedestrian deaths are increasing faster than overall traffic fatalities, the GHSA said in its report.

The number of U.S. pedestrians killed in motor-vehicle crashes last year was notably higher than prepandemic levels, according to a new report from a nonprofit safety group. An estimated 7,318 pedestrians were killed in crashes in 2023, 14% more than the 6,412 killed in 2019, the Governors Highway Safety Association said. Fatalities dropped more than 5% between 2022 and 2023, however, giving the group hope that a problem that has vexed local and federal officials for decades is improving.

Crossing the street is finally becoming a bit safer. After hitting a 40-year high in 2022, pedestrian deaths decreased in 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The report shows a 5.4% fall in the annual number of pedestrian deaths, the first decrease since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The association's CEO, Jonathan Adkins, says the progress is a step in the right direction.

GHSA's data analysis, Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2023 Preliminary Data (January-December), projects that drivers struck and killed 7,318 people walking in 2023 – down 5.4% from the year before but 14.1% above 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

Drivers struck and killed 7,318 people in the United States in 2023 – down 5.4% from the year before but 14.1% above the pre-pandemic level in 2019 – according to a new report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). While this modest year-over-year decrease is welcome news, pedestrian fatalities have surged in recent years and reached a 40-year high in 2022.

Pedestrian Traffic Deaths Fall for First Time Since Pandemic

GHSA News Release
June 26, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2024

CONTACT: Adam Snider (GHSA), 202-580-7930, 202-365-8971 (cell)

Five-year death toll surpasses 35,000 as dangerous driving, infrastructure shortfalls, larger vehicles contribute to perilous conditions for people walking