With the news that vehicle highway deaths will likely increase in 2015 over the year before comes a new study showing that pedestrian traffic fatalities are expected to increase as well.
The study, by the Governors Highway Safety Association, shows that 2015 is expected to see the largest year-to-year increase (a projected 10 percent) in pedestrian traffic fatalities since national reporting began in 1975. The report also found that four states accounted for nearly half of all pedestrian deaths. Those four states – California, Texas, Florida and New York – have large, urban areas where many people choose to walk rather than drive. However, the report also states that “when population is taken into account, the states with the highest fatality rate per 100,000 population were all over the map,” citing states like New Mexico, Louisiana and South Carolina.
The report also provides various reasons for the increase, including pedestrians who are texting and walking; better economic conditions and cheaper gas prices, which leads to more driving and more people on the road, and increased awareness of healthy living, which has led to an increase in walking.
Get more information on the report at the GHSA website.
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