Pedestrian deaths up 77% over the last decade, study says
WASHINGTON - According to the latest report from the Governor's Highway Safety Association, there has been a 77% rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. over the past decade.
Many factors are driving rise in deaths: An increase in distractions, data that shows people have driven more recklessly since the pandemic started, infrastructure and engineering challenges and more, larger vehicles on the road.
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"Everybody is impatient. It’s a microwave society we live in, everyone wants everything so fast. And they don’t take the time to just look at where they’re going, pay attention to their surroundings, and it causes a lot of issues," said Tim Howard, a resident of Southeast D.C.
The rising national trend is present in the DMV too, as different communities have different transportation needs and therefore different safety mitigation measures. Some municipalities are trying to make improvements, both in engineering and public education.
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Deadly bicyclist and pedestrian crashes are on the rise across the D.C. region. A nonprofit group found an increase of nearly 40% in the last year. Local groups are teaming up to stop the growing trend. A monthlong "Street Smart" campaign kicked off Thursday. Chrissy Nizer with MDOT joins FOX 5 to talk about some changes drivers can expect to see soon.
But there's one community that hasn’t seen large numbers or major increases in fatalities: Arlington County.
Arlington has a population of about 230,000 and had zero pedestrian deaths in 2021, two last year, and one so far this year, according to the data.
Arlington County's Vision Zero Coordinator Christine Baker says Arlington has the benefit of maintaining most of its own roads, so they can quickly make changes. Plus, Arlington’s highest speed limit on a county-maintained road is 30 miles an hour, something not feasible everywhere.
But creating an environment that is safe for pedestrians requires help from drivers.
"There’s only so much we can do to engineer for problems like that, so we’ve been really pushing our education campaigns and that community engagement piece, because we can’t do it alone, we have to make sure the community members are looking, paying attention, respecting each other," said Baker.