In this Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, photo a woman uses her cellphone while crossing a street in Honolulu. A new Honolulu ordinance allows police officers to issue tickets to pedestrians caught looking at a cellphone or electronic device while crossing a city street. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A small decline in U.S. traffic fatalities in 2018 was marred by significant increases in pedestrian and cyclist deaths, according to a preliminary report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The agency said all types of traffic deaths in 2018 are projected to total 36,750, or 1% fewer than in 2017, but its data indicates pedestrian deaths rose by an estimated 4% and bicycling deaths surged by 10%. Pedestrian deaths increased from 12% of all traffic deaths in 2009 to 16% in 2017.
The overall fatality estimate would be 1.14 deaths per 100 million miles driven, down from 1.16 in 2017 and the lowest rate since 2014. The longer-term trend is positive. Traffic deaths in the U.S. peaked in 2007 at 41,259 people died, or 1.36 per 100 million miles driven.
A report published earlier this year by the Governors Highway Safety Association found that in the first half of 2018, seven states – California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, New York and North Carolina – reported more than 100 pedestrian deaths.
Five of those states – California, Florida, Texas, Georgia and Arizona – accounted for nearly half, or 46%, of those pedestrian deaths.
New Mexico had the highest rate of pedestrians killed per population. New Hampshire had the lowest.
There was some encouraging news based on the GHSA research.
Pedestrian fatalities declined in 23 states for the first half of 2018 from the year-earlier period. Six states – Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma and Wisconsin – saw pedestrian deaths drop by 10% or more.
Three states – Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah – have recorded declines for two consecutive years.
The national increases in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities follow declines in 2017 of 1.7% for pedestrians and 8% for cyclists.
The greatest risk for both pedestrians and cyclists are in large urban areas. Pedestrians deaths accounted for 46% of 207 traffic fatalities in New York City, while they were 60% of the 15 traffic deaths in San Francisco.
NHTSA is trying to measure the impact of distracted driving, especially the use of phones and other hand-held devices, in traffic deaths. Doing so is difficult because the data relies on distracted drivers and pedestrians acknowledging their behavior.
