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Transportation

In the U.S., Pedestrian Deaths Are Still on the Rise

Low gas prices may have also reversed a recent decline in total traffic fatalities.
Pedestrians and traffic move past a "Look!" sign on the crosswalk at the intersection of 42nd St. and 2nd Avenue in New York.
Pedestrians and traffic move past a "Look!" sign on the crosswalk at the intersection of 42nd St. and 2nd Avenue in New York.AP Photo/Seth Wenig
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Health benefits aside, it’s not exactly safe to be a pedestrian. A new report by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association estimates that the number of pedestrians killed in traffic increased 10 percent from 2014 to 2015 in the U.S.

That number, based on preliminary data reported by all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is in line with a longer-term trend: From 2009 to 2014, pedestrian fatalities increased by 19 percent, even as total traffic deaths declined over that same period. Now people killed while walking represent 15 percent of total traffic deaths, the most common such deaths have been in 25 years, according to the GHSA report.