If you decide to take a walk in your town or city, beware. It’s dangerous out there. According to preliminary data released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), there has been a nearly 50 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities compared to a decade ago.
Why the increase? That’s something the experts are trying to figure out.
GHSA Reports 10-Year Increases in Pedestrian Deaths
The GHSA recently issued a press release reporting pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2024. According to the data, drivers killed 3,304 people walking in the U.S. between January and June 2024.
That’s a decrease of 2.6 percent from the first six months of the year before (88 fewer fatalities), but it’s a 12 percent increase since 2019 and a near 50 percent increase (1,072 more) over the deaths in 2014.
Population growth has resulted in more people on foot, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. According to the GHSA, deaths of pedestrians have risen at a pace nearly seven times higher than U.S. population growth (7 percent).
The GHSA is a nonprofit organization that provides leadership and advocacy to help State and Territorial Highway Safety offices and their partners create safer roads across the country. The organization focuses on improving traffic safety, influencing national policy, and promoting best practices.
GHSA Advocates for Increased Traffic Enforcement
As to why there was an increase in pedestrian deaths, the GHSA attempted to explain it. The organization describes it as “a combination of overlapping and interrelated factors.”
These include:
- A steep drop in traffic enforcement nationwide since 2020
- Roads that are designed to prioritize fast-moving traffic instead of slower speeds
- A lack of infrastructure (sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting) that protect pedestrians
- A U.S. vehicle fleet dominated by larger, heavier vehicles that cause more damage to people.
To help turn things around, the GHSA “supports a holistic solution that establishes a multi-layered safety net that can protect everyone on the road.” The main part of this solution is traffic enforcement focused on dangerous driving behaviors, like speeding and impaired or distracted driving.
NHTSA Also Reports on Traffic-Related Deaths in First Half of 2024
Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently estimated that traffic fatalities in the first half of 2024 decreased compared to the first half of 2023, including decreases in pedestrian-related crashes. However, overall traffic fatalities remain above what they were five and ten years ago, with roadway deaths in the first half of 2024 up 10 percent from 2019 and up 25 percent from 2014.
The administration has been working on safety initiatives to reduce traffic deaths. One of those is a new requirement that passenger cars and light trucks be equipped with automatic emergency braking systems by 2029.
Exclusively focused on representing plaintiffs, especially in mass tort litigation, Eric Chaffin prides himself on providing unsurpassed professional legal services in pursuit of the specific goals of his clients and their families. Both his work and his cases have been featured in the national press, including on ABC’s Good Morning America.
