Apr 11, 2022 - Health
Pandemic-era pedestrian deaths are up
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Pedestrian deaths rose precipitously in almost every state in the first 15 months of the pandemic, according to preliminary Governors Highway Safety Association data.
- GHSA projects 3,441 pedestrians were killed in collisions with vehicles in the U.S., a 17% increase from 2020.
Zoom in: South Carolina had the highest rates of pedestrian deaths, with 2.95 fatalities per 100,000 people in the first half of 2021 — up 30% from 1.44 fatalities per 100,000 people in the first half of 2020.
Thirteen states saw jumps of 40% or more in pedestrian fatalities.
- California, Florida and Texas accounted for 37% of all pedestrian deaths in the first six months of 2021. (The states are home to approximately 27% of the U.S. population, per the report.)
- Eleven states saw a drop in pedestrian deaths in that time. Hawaii, Nebraska and Virginia had two consecutive years of declines in pedestrian fatalities, the GHSA report shows.
