Posted on 03/03/2019 9:41:46 AM PST by ETL
The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads last year was the highest in 28 years, an increase due in part to driver and walker distraction, alcohol and drug impairment and more SUVs on the road, a safety organization report says.
Using data reported by states for the first half of 2018, the Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that 6,227 pedestrians were killed last year.
That's up 4 percent from 2017 and 35 percent — or more than 1,500 additional deaths — from 2008.
The association says more people are walking to work and they're more distracted by smartphones.
America's massive switch from cars to SUVs and light trucks caused more deaths because the taller SUVs tend to hit pedestrians in the head and upper torso, causing more severe injuries, the report said. ..."
The number of pedestrian deaths involving SUVs rose 50 percent from 2013 to 2017, while passenger-car-related deaths increased by 30 percent, the study found.
The number of walkers killed by passenger cars was still higher in 2017 at 2,279, but SUVs accounted for 1,097 deaths.
Pedestrian deaths had been declining for decades until 2009, when smartphone sales and data use began to spike, Retting said.
While Retting said the correlation between the two needs to be studied more, phone use is one of the only variables that could cause the increase in deaths.
"Cellphone use is one of the few metrics I can find that shows a consistent change, a large scale change, year after year," Retting said.
In about half the fatal crashes, either the driver or the pedestrian was impaired by alcohol, with blood alcohol levels of 0.08 grams per deciliter, the study found.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sounds like smartphones need an excise tax like cigarettes.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE stupid people...they write checks.
Many, many, many years ago I watched a guy driving in a parking lot back into another car cuz he was looking at me! Lol!
Those were the days.
Occasionally I make the mistake of going to a grocery store at lunchtime that is next to a local high school.
15 years ago they didn’t walk out in front of cars. For about the last 4-5 years they don’t even look!
Even more moronic, I’ll be pushing a grocery cart of the sidewalk. They are walking 4 abreast coming towards me. When I keep pushing my cart forward, they look confused!!! What do they think is going to happen??? I’m gonna back up so they can keep walking?? Or do they somehow not understand Physics??
We are de-evolving.
Funny thing is we were taught how to cross a street when we started walking to school. I think the school zones have created this situation, I mean, come on, don’t kids in middle school and high school know how to cross a street? I look at it as the Darwin theory, the slow and stupid animals have to die off so they don’t reproduce.
According to state law they are to be protected
According to the law of physics say if you step In front of a 5k pound vehicle you’re gonna lose that battle.
Yeah I noticed. why do they do that?
I doubt the illegals are the pedestrians being hit, as most turd-world countries have no traffic laws to speak of, and pedestrians actually have to pay attention if they want to live. OTOH, they could be a higher than expected percentage of the drivers because they aren't as used to seeing the phone zombies as we are.
Pedestrian deaths had been declining for decades until 2009, when smartphone sales and data use began to spike, Retting said.
This is the problem. Blaming pedestrian deaths on "SUVs" is ridiculous.
I still remember the lyrics to that song:
“Don’t cross the street in the middle of the block
In the middle in the middle in the middle of the block”
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