Walker Deaths Drop, But Hit-And-Run Crashes And Other Dangers Remain
Drivers struck and killed more than 7,000 people on roads in the United States in 2024, enough to fill 31 Boeing 737 passenger jets. It was a 4.3% decrease from the year before and marked the second annual decline, but pedestrian fatalities, which surged throughout the prior decade, remain nearly 20% above the 2016 level and reached a 40-year high in 2022.
And in the last ten years, there are 'alarming trends' of walkers being killed in hit-and-run crashes, by SUVs and pickups, at night, and in places without sidewalks.
Those are some of the main findings of a new data analysis of pedestrian fatalities released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit organization representing state highway safety offices.
'The second straight year of fewer pedestrian deaths is a step in the right direction, but much more must be done to protect people walking,' Jonathan Adkins, chief executive of the safety association, said in a statement.
The new report, 'Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2024 Preliminary Data,' provides an overview of the contributing factors and trends, an examination of national data, and an initial look at state-by-state fatality statistics.
The report highlights how enforcement, data, technology, education, infrastructure and other known solutions are helping to improve safety, and recommendations on how to make the roads safer for people walking.
Some key findings and trends about pedestrian deaths from the report:
'Now is the time to double down on what works – more and better infrastructure, enforcement to deter dangerous driving behaviors, engaged and informed communities, and vehicles designed to protect people on foot,' Adkins added. 'An all-in strategy to address pedestrian safety will help us build on this recent momentum and save even more lives.'
For more information and to access the full report, click here and here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Where you'll find speed cameras in South Wales during August including on the M4
Hundreds of mobile speed cameras are set to be active across South Wales during August, including on major roads like the M4. Speeding is one of the largest contributing factors to collisions on Welsh roads, according to GoSafe - a partnership made up of authorities including the Welsh Government and Wales emergency services. Not only is it dangerous, but it can land you a fine and points on your licence. UK speed limits explained What is the penalty if you're caught speeding? The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to your licence. In certain circumstances, drivers will be eligible to attend a Driver Education Course, which will incur a cost, but you will not have penalty points added to your licence. The GoSafe partnership aims to "make people safer on Welsh Roads by reducing casualties and saving lives". So to keep drivers safe and reduce speeding, GoSafe has mapped the location of every single speed camera set to be active in Wales in August. Seven common speed camera myths Mobile speed cameras in South Wales during August Motorists will need to keep an eye out for a host of mobile speed cameras set to be active across South Wales this month, including in Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan. To see the location of all the mobile speed cameras set to be out and about in South Wales during August, check out the 'Safety Camera Location Search' map on the GoSafe website. RECOMMENDED READING: The 3 roads in South Wales among the worst speed camera hotspots in the UK Are there speed cameras on the Prince of Wales Bridge? Experts reveal the answer South Wales 'enforcement sites' where speed cameras are monitoring 20mph limit How do you know if a speed camera caught you? Find out if there's a way to check There will be mobile speed cameras on major roads including the M4, A48 and A466. There will also be one set up by the toll plaza westbound near the Prince of Wales Bridge and on Porthkerry Road by Cardiff Airport. To see the full map including the location of fixed, red light, speed on green and average speed cameras in South Wales, visit the GoSafe website (a link to which can be found above).
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
When Bloodshed and Chaos Arrived at 345 Park Avenue
A group from the finance firm Blackstone gathered for a mixer off the lobby of 345 Park Avenue on Monday evening. Across the big, airy space a Blackstone senior executive, Wesley LePatner, 43, was passing through after a day of meetings upstairs. She was a mentor to young women who oversaw a real estate team that had injected tens of billions of dollars into their portfolio. A busy Monday, nearing its end. There was the lobby's security guard — friendly and popular. He stepped outside every day to buy a lottery ticket from the news stand on Lexington Avenue. Today's my day, he would joke with the young vendor. I'll win big and solve all my problems. Darin Laing, 37, in finance, passed him by as he left with a colleague to grab a quick dinner across the street. None of them noticed a dark BMW pull up on Park Avenue and double park. The driver stepped out. It was a hot day, the beginning of a heat wave that gripped the city. So the lobby's big blinds were lowered against the sun, masking his approach to the building. Just before 6:30 p.m., the driver, a slim young man wearing sunglasses, entered the lobby with an assault rifle in his right hand. Much would be learned about that man in the hours and days to follow — and about the four others who would ultimately lose their lives. But at that moment and for a long stretch that followed, he was an anonymous, terrifying, unfolding threat. One that New Yorkers have seen play out all over America, and now had come to their door. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Turmoil of an ICE Courthouse Arrest
In One Image The Turmoil of an ICE Courthouse Arrest By Todd Heisler, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Wesley Parnell This is one of the many arrests happening each day inside the immigration courthouse in New York City. Agents cover their faces with masks. They wait in the hallway before springing into action, grabbing migrants leaving routine hearings. President Trump has enlisted officers across the government, but it can be difficult to tell which agencies they work for. Carlos Javier Lopez Benitez, a 27-year-old from Paraguay, was one of their targets on July 16. He was in court seeking asylum. News photographers, who outnumber federal agents some days, dashed to document the arrest. His sister, Lilian Lopez, clung to his arms, wailing, as officers clawed her grip. Supported by This has become the new normal in America's immigration courts. In New York City, especially, courthouse arrests have driven a spike in detentions of undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Immigration authorities used to stay away from courthouses. They were aware that their presence could scare migrants from engaging with the legal system. That changed in May when the Trump administration began arresting some immigrants showing up for mandatory court dates so that their deportations could be expedited. The arrests turned the courthouses into places to witness Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown unfold, in real time, every day. Masked agents stand sentry outside the courtrooms. Migrants show up for their hearings, not knowing if they're walking into a trap. The arrests sometimes devolve into volatile tussles, with news photographers, activists and politicians crowding hallways to witness the spectacle. Family members are often left reeling. 'His arrest was like the show of the day,' Porfiria Lopez, one of Mr. Lopez Benitez's sisters, said of her brother's arrest. 'The question we were left with is: How do they decide who to arrest? Is it chance or just theater?' Mr. Lopez Benitez, who is from Paraguay, crossed the southern border in May 2023. He was briefly apprehended by border patrol agents in Arizona, placed in deportation proceedings and released into the United States as his case wound through the courts. He traveled to New York, where he reunited with his two sisters, who are U.S. citizens. He lived in Queens, worked in construction and did not have a criminal record, according to his family and his lawyers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
