Pedestrian deaths at 43-year high in US

More than 20 pedestrians in the United States were killed each day last year while walking along or crossing roadways, the deadliest rate since 1980, according to a report.

Drivers struck and killed at least 7,500 pedestrians last year, according to the nonprofit Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA.

Pedestrian deaths nationwide last year were up 1 percent from 2021. Between 2010 and 2021, pedestrian deaths have gone up 77 percent. While other traffic-related deaths also increased, they were at a comparatively lower rate of 25 percent.

In 2021, most pedestrian fatalities — more than 80 percent — occurred at night.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deaths of pedestrians increased as empty roads led to an even greater surge in speeding and distracted driving.

Speeding accounted for 29 percent of all fatalities in 2020 and 2021, a greater proportion than the previous four years. The total number of speeding-related fatalities in 2021 increased by 7.9 percent from the previous year, according to the report.

The prevalence of SUVs and trucks was another reason attributed to the increase in pedestrian deaths, with deaths involving SUVs increasing at a faster rate.

"A general rule is the larger and heavier the vehicle, the lower the chances a person on foot will survive a crash," the report said.

Adam Snider, a spokesman for the GHSA, told US News that larger and heavy vehicles are definitely one of the factors behind the awful surge in deaths.

"In some of these larger vehicles, the driver's sight lines are not nearly as good. It's harder to see people close to the vehicle, so it can be harder to prevent a collision," he said.

Racial gaps

The report also found that people of color were overrepresented in pedestrian fatalities. According to a research study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine last year, black people experience a pedestrian death rate that is 118 percent higher than that of white people.

"One of the big things is there has been a historic and systemic underinvestment in infrastructure in these communities of color, things like sidewalks, lighting, crosswalks, slow speeds, road designs that slow down drivers and force vehicles to go at speeds that are safer for pedestrians," Snider said.

The report highlights that the US is still falling behind in its efforts to enhance road safety, with the majority of pedestrian deaths occurring not at an intersection, but where there was no sidewalk.

Agencies contributed to this story.