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Last year, more than 8,000 people out walking after dinner, jogging, rushing to get to work, hurrying while crossing a street, and even in a crosswalk were killed by motor vehicles on or along America’s streets and roads. That’s almost twice as many as died in 2010. A study by Columbia University found schoolage children (5 to 19-years-old) struck by pickup trucks were twice as likely to be seriously hurt as those struck by passenger cars. The risk was even greater for younger children (ages 5-9); their fatality risk is four times greater when hit by an SUV or pickup truck than by a passenger car.
Traffic is getting deadlier for people who aren’t actually part of the traffic. Data and safety experts have determined that long-standing common factors in pedestrian deaths, such as alcohol and jaywalking at night, do not account for the rise in the number of deaths. What, then, could be causing the increase? A Detroit Free Press/USA Today Network investigation found that the “SUV revolution” is the key. Since 2014, SUVs and pickup trucks have become the best-selling vehicles in the U.S.; in recent years, they accounted for nearly three-quarters of new-vehicle sales. Unfortunately, they are also the leading cause of the increasing number of pedestrian deaths nationwide. “Understanding where, when, and how these additional pedestrian crashes are happening can point the way to solutions,” says Insurance Institute of Highway Safety President David Harkey. “This analysis tells us that improvements in road design, vehicle design and lighting, and speed limit enforcement all have a role to play in addressing the issue.”
Mark Berg is a former instructor for the AARP Driver Safety Program. His email address is MABerg175@comcast.net.
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