U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Spike During Pandemic's Early Days

ACROSS AMERICA — The pandemic has brought out the worst in United States drivers. Unsurprisingly, the consequences have been deadly, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

As speeding, distracted and impaired driving, and other dangerous driver behaviors spiked, nearly 3,000 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roads during the first six months of the pandemic. The number represents a staggering 20 percent increase from the previous year when compared to the number of miles driven during the same time period, according to the GHSA’s Spotlight on Highway Safety.

The annual report offers one of the first comprehensive looks at the toll caused by dangerous driving habits during the pandemic.

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Based on preliminary data provided by State Highway Safety Offices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the analysis found that from January through June 2020, 2,957 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes — six more than the same period in 2019.

While six additional deaths may not seem like much, the report also factors in a nationwide 16.5 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled due to pandemic-related closures and stay-at-home restrictions.

This means the rate of drivers striking and killing pedestrians jumped to 2.2 deaths per billion miles traveled, a “significant and unsettling increase” from 1.8 deaths the year before, the report says.

Seven states accounted for 54 percent of all pedestrian deaths, according to the report. California led all U.S. states with 485 fatalities, followed by Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and New York.

Between 2010 and 2019, the number of U.S. pedestrian fatalities jumped from 4,302 in 2010 to an estimated 6,301 deaths in 2019, a 46 percent increase.

If the pattern outlined in GHSA’s new report continues for the second half of the year, 2020 is projected to see the largest ever annual increase in the U.S. pedestrian fatality rate.

The report also found that pedestrians of color were more likely to be killed than those who identified as white. Socioeconomic status — in particular, poverty — is another strong risk factor for pedestrian crashes.

Finally, nearly 86 percent of pedestrians killed during the first six months of 2020 were between 21 and 24 years of age.

Read the full report on the Governors Highway Safety Association’s website.