Transportation safety experts are alarmed by the rising toll of pedestrian deaths, which hit a 28-year high in 2018, The Wall Street Journal reports. A report commissioned by the Governors Highway Safety Association estimates 6,227 people died last year on foot from car crashes. Pedestrian fatalities’ share of motor-vehicle crash deaths have grown from 12 percent a decade ago to 16 percent now.
Among the factors cited as possible causes: roads designed to maximize car speed, bulk of popular SUVs, and cellphone distraction. In 2017, about half of all fatal pedestrian traffic crashes involved alcohol impairment by the driver, pedestrian or both. Cities and states are trying to boost safety and make their communities more livable with a combination of engineering, education and enforcement measures. Many cities have lowered speed limits, redesigned intersections and improved crosswalks. Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C., reported an increase in pedestrian deaths in the first half of 2018, with Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas accounting for nearly half of all fatalities. Pedestrian deaths were down in nearly two dozen states, substantially in some cases. New York City and other large cities also have made notable safety gains for walkers in recent years.