Pedestrian fatalities in the United States decreased in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, but increased in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The 15% increase in pedestrian deaths from 2009 to 2012 compares with a 3% decrease in all other motor vehicle deaths during the same time period. Based on preliminary data for the first six months of 2013 supplied by all states and the District of Columbia, there were 1,985 pedestrian deaths. This compares with 2,175 recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the same time period in 2012–a decrease of 8.7 percent. If the second half of 2013 conforms to this pattern, the recent yearly increases in pedestrian deaths will have halted. Overall, in the first half of 2013, pedestrian fatalities decreased in 25 states, increased in 20 states and the District of Columbia, and stayed the same in five. Nine states reported decreases of ten or more deaths, compared with two that had increases of this magnitude. There is an uneven distribution of pedestrian deaths among the states, with three (California, Texas and Florida) accounting for one-third of the 4,743 deaths in 2012. In nine states there were fewer than ten pedestrian deaths in 2012. Pedestrian deaths are largely an urban phenomenon, frequently occurring at night and often involving alcohol consumption by pedestrians. People age 70 and older have the highest per capita pedestrian death rate; very few children are involved, a change from earlier years. Reasons for the increase in pedestrian deaths in 2010 through 2012 are not clearly understood. Possibilities include more people walking in the aftermath of the economic recession of 2008 through 2009 because of motor vehicle operating costs, and the encouragement of walking for health and environmental benefits. Other possible explanations include the growth in vulnerable populations (e.g., immigrants, seniors), milder weather patterns, and an increase in distracted driving and walking. If pedestrian deaths are now decreasing, explaining the change will be challenging since several of the reasons suggested for the increase in 2010 through 2012 still apply. It is, however, in line with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) projection that total fatalities dropped by 4% in the first half of 2013. (Author/publisher)
Abstract