Examining the Increase in Pedestrian Fatalities in The United States, 2009-2019
Source: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. increased by more than 50% from 2009 to 2018, accounting for an increasing proportion of all traffic fatalities. Consistent with previous studies, results indicate that the number of pedestrians fatally struck by SUVs increased more rapidly than the number fatally struck by cars. However, it is also noted that far more pedestrians are killed by cars, and that the number of pedestrians killed by cars also increased substantially over the previous decade. Also consistent with previous studies, results indicate that the largest increases in pedestrian fatalities in recent years occurred in urban areas, on arterials, at non-intersection locations, and in darkness, which collectively accounted for nearly the entire increase in pedestrian fatalities. Moreover, over half of the entire increase in pedestrian fatalities occurred specifically at non-intersection locations on urban non-freeway arterials, the majority of which involved pedestrians crossing at these locations. More research is needed to understand the factors associated with the apparent increase in the number of pedestrians killed while crossing urban arterials at non-intersection locations without crosswalks, and to identify appropriate countermeasures to reduce the incidence of crashes and deaths in this prominent scenario.
