Study says pedestrians killed in crashes up 80% since 2009 in US
The year 2009 was itself a historic low for pedestrian deaths, according to AAA's research.
In addition to the increase, AAA's study found that most of the increases in pedestrian deaths were from crashes that happen at night on 'urban arterial roads.'
The study found that most of the pedestrian fatalities happened 'well outside of downtown' areas, usually more than four miles from city centers.
'It's not simply a matter of pleading with drivers and walkers to remain vigilant toward one another,' Montrae Waiters, AAA-The Auto Club Group spokeswoman, said in a statement. 'Getting a handle on the jump in pedestrian accidents means our state and local leaders are encouraged to team up and make our streets safer for both walkers and drivers.'
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The study also said that most of these crashes, resulting in deaths or injuries, happened in areas that are socially and economically disadvantaged.
AAA said these were neighborhoods with older homes and more diversity with how the land is used, and where many residents live or work in the areas and rely on walking or public transit to commute.
The areas are also where people 'are forced to walk in poorly lit areas with poor or no sidewalks and long distances between safe places to cross' the street.
While there wasn't data broken down specifically by time of day, the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety reported that there were 345 pedestrian deaths in Georgia in 2022, the most recent year available.
From 2013 to 2022, there were 2,447 pedestrian fatalities, according to GOHS. In the same time span, fatalities nearly doubled, when comparing 2013 to 2022.
More broadly, there were a total of 637 traffic fatalities in rural areas in 2022 and 1,159 in urban areas, the data showed. However, GOHS also said there were more fatalities in rural areas when measuring by deaths per vehicle miles driven.
GOHS data shows there were 1.46 deaths per 100 million miles driven in rural areas, compared to 1.36 in urban areas.
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