Pedestrian deaths rise to highest rate in 40 years

An average of 20 pedestrians were hit and killed by motorists each day in the United States last year, according to estimates compiled by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). That equals a total of 7,485 people for the year. For those keeping grim track of such statistics, last year represents the highest number of pedestrian fatalities recorded in the past four decades. You'd have to travel back to 1982 to find a year with more pedestrian deaths than 2021. It's up 12% from last year, a figure that represents an additional 774 lives lost in 2021 over 2020.

Lovers of stats will also note that the ratio of pedestrian fatalities to miles driven has also increased. The GHSA's preliminary data indicates there were 2.32 pedestrian deaths per billion vehicle miles traveled in 2021. That's up a bit from last year — though last year's numbers were an anomaly due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic — and is "well above the pre-pandemic average of 1.9." The fatality rate per 100,000 people similarly increased in 2021, rising to 2.26 from 2.02 the year before.

Alarmingly, the report includes data analyzed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that indicates "the percentage of speeding-related pedestrian crashes involving children ages 15 and younger more than doubled in the previous three years." The report further found that "Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) were over-represented in pedestrian crashes considering their share of the population."