Pedestrian deaths hit highest number in more than 40 years: report

The number of pedestrian deaths last year reached its highest level in more than 40 years, according to a new report.

The report from the Governors Highway Safety Administration, a nonprofit organization that represents state and territorial highway safety offices, projects that 7,508 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2022, the most since 1981. The total is only a 1 percent increase from 2021 but continues an upward trend that has been happening for decades.

Data from the report also shows that the number of pedestrian fatalities from traffic rose almost every year between 2010 and 2021, increasing 77 percent from 4,302 to 7,624. Pedestrian deaths made up 13 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2010 but made up 17.6 percent in 2021.

The number of other traffic fatalities for non-pedestrians only rose 25 percent during this period.

The report states that the climb in 2022 can be attributed to a few states with large increases. Arizona saw 47 additional pedestrian fatalities compared to 2021, while Oregon had 41 more and Virginia had 44 more.

The organization also projects that the total number of pedestrian deaths could reach as high as 8,126 once it receives additional data, which would be the first time the number of fatalities surpassed 8,000 since 1980.

The organization also found that the increase in fatalities has in part been the result of more drivers choosing larger and heavier vehicles, which reduces the chances of someone surviving being hit by a vehicle.

From 2012 to 2021, the number of deaths involving SUVs more than doubled from 807 to 1,773, while the number of deaths involving passenger cars only increased by 26 percent. The number of sales and leases of light trucks, which include SUVs, rose from 5,865 in 2010 to 11,690 in 2021.

The group also cited a slow integration of newer vehicles, which are generally considered to be safer than older vehicles, on the road. Newer vehicles tend to have more advanced technology to avoid crashes, and some have pedestrian detection.

“Fewer new vehicles entering the vehicle mix means pedestrians — and all road users — were less protected than they could have been if there were more new vehicles on the road,” the report states.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.