US Pedestrian deaths rose a troubling 77% between 2010 and 2021.

northendtrooper@lemmy.ca to World News@lemmy.world – 446 points – Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2022 Preliminary Data | GHSA
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GHSA previously issued a report finding that 3,434 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roadways in the first half of 2022, based on preliminary data reported by State Highway Safety Offices. A second report analyzing state-reported data for all of 2022 found that roadways continue to be incredibly deadly for pedestrians. There were 2.37 pedestrian deaths per billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2022, up yet again and continuing a troubling trend of elevated rates that began in 2020.

The report also includes an analysis of 2021 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System to provide additional context on when, where and how drivers strike and kill people on foot. This analysis uncovered a shocking safety disparity for people walking: Pedestrian deaths rose a troubling 77% between 2010 and 2021, compared to a 25% rise in all other traffic fatalities. The data analysis was conducted by Elizabeth Petraglia, Ph.D., of research firm Westat.

To combat this pedestrian safety crisis, GHSA supports a comprehensive solution based on the Safe System approach outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS). Each of the five elements of this approach – safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads and post-crash care – contribute in different but overlapping ways to provide a multi-layered safety net that can protect people on foot as well as other road users. The report includes examples of how states are utilizing Safe System principles to improve pedestrian safety.

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This video here explains one of the issues one minute in as to why pedestrian deaths are rising. Definitely worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh4H9qZ-_6Y&t=55

The way car companies are working around this legislation is why it's so hard to find and buy smaller sized cars even if there is demand (think smart car size). It also makes our community's less safe for pedestrian traffic and less enjoyable to walk.

and less enjoyable to walk.

Which, incidentally, is great for car manufacturers!

I think this is bs. I think that the advent of smart phones and distracted drivers plays a much bigger role. 2010 is around the time the smart phone became mainstream. People are paying less attention to the road as a result. I get that getting hit by a bigger car is worse, but when the driver isn't paying attention in the first place, that's the true danger. I've seen a ton of near misses from people texting and driving. My wife got in an accident because she was texting and driving. She lucked out and was found not at fault because the other person ran a stop sign, but had she not been texting, and actually watching the road, she likely would've seen it and stopped. Imo texting and driving ticket needs to be as bad if not worse than DUI. I've seen idiots driving around phone in hand making tik toks dancing while driving. Pay attention to the road, you're in a death machine.

Except you can't breathalyze somebody for smartphone use. So its just another impossible task of policing it. Maybe we should be designing our cities so pedestrian traffic does not cross travel lanes as often and close streets prone to such accidents to route stop and go traffic around pedestrian heavy areas

Why not both?

Both can definitely be true, but I think people on their phone are causing way more pedestrian deaths.

But we’re not sub-selecting here. A death from distraction by a phone is as bad as a death from impatiently running a red or tailgating in an SUV.

I personally think larger cars are at fault more as I see more of them tailgating to push drivers to go faster - I’m big, get out of my way - but like you, that’s an impression from driving without data to back it up (albeit 40+ years of driving over 3 continents)

If this is the case, then why hasnt the rest of the world seen a similarly startling increase in pedestrian fatalities?

The rise in smartphones was a global phenomenon. By your logic, the entire world should be seeing similar rises in pedestrian fatalities, but they arent.

On the other hand, the rapid increase in vehicle size/weight has been fairly localized to the US due to regulations that incentivized such..

U got a source for that? It seems like it would be increasing globally in my opinion. That would certainly lend credence to the SUV theory if true.