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U.S. Pedestrian Road Deaths Reach Highest Toll Since 1990, Report Says

posted by martyb on Friday March 01 2019, @05:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the not-so-smart-phone-use dept.

AnonTechie writes:

The number of pedestrians hit and killed on U.S. roads has surged to the highest level [PDF] in almost three decades, new data indicates, while suggesting that a rise in SUVs and smartphone use may be to blame.

Last year, 6,227 pedestrians were killed in road fatalities — a 51 percent increase compared to 2009, according to a preliminary estimate published Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The D.C.-based non-profit said the 2018 figure is the highest recorded since 1990.

Five states—Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas—accounted for 46 percent of all pedestrian deaths, despite representing just 33 percent of the U.S. population, according to Census data. California had the largest number, at 432.

U.S. Pedestrian Road Deaths

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 02 2019, @12:18AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 02 2019, @12:18AM (#809007)

    It is disappointing to see a report drawing conclusions from the absolute number of incidents without also considering the increase in the number of vehicle-miles traveled and people over the same period.

    The Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicates that the vehicle-miles traveled increased 236,472 million vehicle-miles, from 2,976,528 million vehicle-miles in 2008 to 3,213,000 million vehicle-miles in 2017. https://www.bts.gov/content/motor-vehicle-safety-data [bts.gov] Meanwhile the US Census indicates that the population grew from 308,745,538 in 2010 to 328,231,337 in 2017. https://www.census.gov/popclock/ [census.gov]

    Isn't it to be expected that more vehicles traveling more miles with more people walking around will be involved in more incidents on an absolute scale?

           

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 02 2019, @12:42AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 02 2019, @12:42AM (#809025)

    Of course not. Drivers have just become more homicidal. Isn't that a simpler explanation?

    </sarcasm> for all the cyclists and pedestrians and other people with no sense of humor

    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday March 02 2019, @03:43AM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Saturday March 02 2019, @03:43AM (#809058) Journal

      The laughing dead?

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex