Two years into the pandemic, pedestrian deaths have been climbing to record levels amid a nationwide “flare-up” of reckless driving that experts around the country are blaming anxiety levels, pandemic drinking, and the fraying of social norms, the New York Times details.
While the rise in deaths has hit Sun Belt states “particularly hard,” the “pedestrian death toll spiked last year in many parts of the country,” the Times writes.
Traffic specialists expected the pedestrian death rate to decline when the pandemic hit, yet the opposite occurred, and the pedestrian fatality rate nationally surged approximately 21 percent in 2020.
Crashes killed more than 6,700 pedestrians in 2020, up about 5 percent from the estimated 6,412 the year before, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The New York Times cites how in 2021, New Jersey had its highest number of pedestrian fatalities in more than 30 years. Last year was also the deadliest on Utah’s roads since the start of the century, as pedestrian deaths rose 22 percent. Washington State ended 2021 with a 15-year high in traffic fatalities while pedestrian deaths in Texas climbed last year to a record high.
What’s to Blame?
The Week posed this question in response to the piece by the New York Times, and garnered responses from cognitive scientists and academics alike.
Looking at the pandemic as a whole, traffic specialists cite that empty roads may have led to illegal faster driving, coupled with the fact that law enforcement offices cut back on their in-person interactions to limit COIVD-19 exposures — resulting in a dip in traffic stops, The Week details.
Moreover, cognitively, drivers seem to get angrier, writes the New York Times, citing that the pandemic has made feelings of agitation “intensify” which only gets worse with road-rage.
Beyond these factors, others are looking to the developing vehicular technology and pointing the finger.
“Cars are getting bigger, faster and deadlier,” said journalist and author Angie Schmitt, in their discussion with The Week.
Others say that since cars have grown safer for those who drive them, what with features like backup cameras, “some drivers are emboldened to dismiss the risks to pedestrians,” notes the Times.
Not to mention that, after all of this, people are just plain fed up, cognitive scientist Art Markman added in talking with The Week.
“When you get angry in the car, it generates energy — and how do you dissipate that energy? Well, one way is to put your foot down a little bit more on the accelerator.”
The Race to Save Lives
In order to help prevent these pedestrian deaths, some communities across the country are taking action.
Last week, the mayor in Portland banned encampments near highways and high-traffic intersections for people experiencing homelessness due to a staggering increase of pedestrian fatalities, CNN reports.
In 2021, 70 percent of the Portland pedestrians killed in traffic situations were individuals experiencing homelessness.
On Monday, officials in Suffolk County and Patchogue Village in Long Island, New York, announced the “Be Safe, Bee Seen” initiative to bring awareness to the importance of pedestrian safety following the tragic death of a 2-year-old girl crossing Route 112.
Now, any community member who requests a reflective, bright vest for walking or biking will get one for free, courtesy of 15 businesses, unions, non-profit organizations, and service groups, the Greater Long Island details.
Next week in Maryland, the Montgomery County Council will take up a bill that will require the county to shovel 40 miles of sidewalks in an effort to keep them usable for those who need them, citing the 2 deaths and 50 injury incidents of pedestrians being struck by vehicles in 2020 alone, WTOP reports.
Additional Reading: Stricter Blood-Alcohol Limits Reduce Driving Fatalities: Study
Andrea Cipriano is Associate Editor of The Crime Report.
1 Comment
That is very sad people are dying because of car crashes. People must be more safer.I Can’t believe 6,700 people were killed rip. I’m glad they are doing something about it.