Pedestrian Traffic Deaths on Record Breaking Rise

CHARLES ROBERTSON, WLHR Radio

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released numbers this week that project an 11 percent increase in the number of people on foot killed on U.S. roadways last year, compared to in 2015. The numbers represent the steepest year-to-year increase since record-keeping began, both in terms of number of deaths and percent increase.

In Georgia, according to GDOT preliminary data, there had been a 15 percent increase in pedestrian deaths in 2016 as 236 pedestrian deaths were reported for last year compared to 206 in 2015. Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Harris Blackwood reminds drivers that pedestrians have the right away.

“The thing you can do is pay attention. If you are driving, pay attention,” said Blackwood. “You know the places where there are walkers. Pay attention. We see so many people who are distracted. We see people who skid up to the crosswalk because they see people in it. Under Georgia law, that person in the crosswalk has the right of way.”

Blackwood said both drivers and pedestrians need to keep aware, as 2017 is already on pace with 2016 for Georgia pedestrian deaths.

“There is a little bit of blame on both sides. Sometimes there are distracted walkers who are engaged on their phones and sometimes there are distracted drivers who are engaged on their phones,” said Blackwood. “They don’t see each other one way or another and we end up with a lot of people being injured and as of today 53 being killed.”

He also gave a reminder this week of the importance of taking the extra steps to get to a crosswalk.

“Sometimes people will not go 20 or 50 yards down the street to a crosswalk and will cross 5,6,7 lanes of traffic, sometimes with a child in their hands or sometimes with groceries or other things,” he said. “We see people get hit and unfortunately we see too many people get killed.”

Georgia has had 53 pedestrian deaths as of March 30 compared to 55 at the same time last year. Several of those deaths have occurred in Northeast Georgia.