Common factors link rise in pedestrian deaths—fixing them will be tough

A new AAA study finds common factors in the rise of fatal pedestrian crashes.

American roads have grown deadlier for everyone, but the toll on pedestrians has been disproportionate. From a record low in 2009, the number of pedestrians being killed by vehicles rose 83 percent by 2022 to the highest it's been in 40 years. During that time, overall traffic deaths increased by just 25 percent. Now, a new study from AAA has identified a number of common factors that can explain why so many more pedestrians have died.

Firstly, no, it's not because there are more SUVs on the road, although these larger and taller vehicles are more likely to kill or seriously injure a pedestrian in a crash. And no, it's not because everyone has a smartphone, although using one while driving is a good way to increase your chances of hitting someone or something. These and some other factors (increased amount of driving, more alcohol consumption) have each played a small role, but even together, they don't explain the magnitude of the trend.

For a while, researchers started seeing that the increased pedestrian death toll was almost entirely happening after dark and on urban arterial roads—this has continued to be true through 2022, the AAA report says.

Together with the Collaborative Sciences Centre for Road Safety, AAA conducted a trio of case studies looking at road safety data from Albuquerque, New Mexico; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee, to drill down into the phenomenon.

And common factors did emerge. Pedestrian crashes on arterial roads during darkness were far more likely to be fatal and were more common in older neighborhoods, more socially deprived neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more multifamily housing, and neighborhoods with more "arts/entertainment/food/accommodations" workers. As with so many of the US's ills, this problem is one that disproportionately affects the less affluent.

The design of the roads plays a large role, particularly in the way that cars are prioritized over more vulnerable road users. A lack of sidewalks and crossings on multilane roads that have retail locations (gas stations, fast food restaurants) immediately puts a pedestrian at a disadvantage. Add to that a pedestrian or driver who's a little tipsy (and maybe distracted by their phone), and the trouble begins.

Unfortunately, AAA's study also points out how difficult it will be to fix some of the contributors to this problem. In many places, the built environment needs to be changed, but it's expensive, and American society is just too accepting of traffic deaths to demand it happen. There are clashes between local and state governments—the latter often owns the arterial roads where these deaths are happening, leaving the cities powerless to take action themselves.

And even before the change at the top of the federal government, there was still insufficient funding for pedestrian safety and too much prioritization of vehicle traffic. It's very difficult to imagine positive change occurring there during the next few years.

"Reducing the spike in pedestrian deaths requires data-driven investments where they matter most," said Jake Nelson, AAA's director of traffic safety advocacy. "If safety is truly a top priority for decision-makers, we should expect greater investments in historically underinvested communities where a disproportionate number of pedestrians are hit and killed."

Source

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