The number of pedestrian deaths in the United States has risen sharply, with the growing use of smartphones, the popularity of SUVs and trucks, and population growth all contributing, according to a new report.
The association’s report is in line with others showing an upward trend in pedestrian deaths. The League of American Bicyclists, in a recent publication, found that more pedestrians and bicyclists died in 2016 than at any time in the past 25 years.
The report cites a host of likely factors, including the robust economy that has more people driving farther distances, demographic changes, and others. But it also cites the likely impact of distracted driving and the popularity of smartphones — which more than three-quarters of all Americans own, according to the Pew Research Center.
Yet the safety association report — not unlike other recent research — suggests that some jurisdictions are achieving some success in bucking the trend. In the nation’s 10 largest cities, for example, pedestrian deaths fell by 15 percent in 2017, the governor’s group says. The District and Maryland, however, were included among 12 jurisdictions such as New Mexico (2.26), Arizona (1.74), and Mississippi (1.46) that reported pedestrian fatality rates of 1.0 or higher per 100,000 population. The District’s rate was 1.14, Maryland’s was 1.00 and Virginia had 0.62 deaths per 100,000 population.
Five big southern and western states, for example, accounted for 46 percent of U.S. pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2018: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas, which collectively are home to about a third of the nation’s population.
The full report can be found here.
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