Pedestrian Deaths Are Surging
Pedestrian deaths from cars soared to record levels during the pandemic, according to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Pedestrian Deaths Are Surging
Story by Erin Doherty
February 21, 2022
GHSA does not track state pedestrian safety laws but does track bicycle helmet laws in states where they have been enacted. Few states have enacted bicycle helmet laws. While GHSA only tracks state laws, many localities require helmet use for some or all bicyclists.
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs).
Laws last reviewed by SHSOs in March 2024.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 15.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders 1 year or older and under 14. Children under 1 prohibited.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 17.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16. $25 fine for a second or subsequent violation.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 18.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 16.
Pedestrian deaths from cars soared to record levels during the pandemic, according to data from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Story by Erin Doherty
February 21, 2022
Crashes killing pedestrians climbed 46 percent over the last decade, compared with a 5 percent increase for all other crashes, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The Governors Highway Safety Association thanks and applauds the USDOT and Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the ambitious new National Roadway Safety Strategy that sets a goal of zero roadway fatalities and draws attention to the national traffic safety crisis plaguing America’s roads.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2022
CONTACT: Adam Snider, 202-580-7930
202-365-8971 (after hours)
Statement by Jonathan Adkins, Executive Director, Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
The Governors Highway Safety Association also praised the plan, saying that "national leadership on traffic safety is essential for addressing unsafe streets, dangerous driving behaviors ... and other risks that needlessly claim lives on our roads every day."
“The strategy recognizes that communities and states will achieve zero traffic deaths using different approaches, but our collective goal is the same,” Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said in a statement.
Transportation officials say the awards reflect the priorities of the local governments that applied for the funds. Pedestrian fatalities have been climbing for about a decade and in 2020 rose 4.8% over the previous year, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
When cities shut down at the start of the pandemic, streets were emptier. There was more speeding, more drinking and driving, and less seatbelt-wearing. Deaths and serious injuries spiked for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.
Data from the Governors Highway Safety Association suggest that American drivers struck and killed more than 6,700 pedestrians last year, a number unmatched in this century. The rate at which drivers kill pedestrians surged by 21 percent from 2019 to 2020, the largest annual increase on record.
The Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety teamed up with Shepherd Center to create Scoot Safe, the first federally funded, evidence-based e-scooter injury prevention campaign in the nation.