{"id":114951,"date":"2017-03-30T16:02:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T20:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=114951"},"modified":"2017-03-30T16:02:49","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T20:02:49","slug":"pedestrian-deaths-reach-record-numbers-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/03\/pedestrian-deaths-reach-record-numbers-in-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Pedestrian Deaths Reach Record Numbers in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The number of pedestrian traffic deaths is expected to rise 11% in 2016 compared with 2015 numbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More people are dying on America\u2019s roads than ever and nearly 6,000 aren\u2019t even in a vehicle, according to new figures from the Governors Highway Safety Association. The group forecast pedestrian deaths will rise 11% in 2016 compared with 2015.<\/p>\n

In simple terms, 620 more people died last year than the previous, marking the highest number in more than 20 years, the GHSA notes.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe Now!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“This latest data shows that the U.S. isn’t meeting the mark on keeping pedestrians safe on our roadways,” said Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director. “Every one of these lives represents a loved one not coming home tonight, which is absolutely unacceptable.”<\/p>\n

The figures are preliminary, based on data from all states and the District of Columbia for the first six months of 2016 and then extrapolated for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

(Automakers set U.S. record for recalls in 2016. <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

During the first six months, states recorded 2,660 pedestrian fatalities \u2014 an increase from 2,486 deaths in the same time period in 2015. But the preliminary figures would represent the steepest year-to-year increase since record-keeping began, both in number of deaths and percent increase.<\/p>\n

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Compared with results from 2014, the number of pedestrian deaths in 2016 are up 22%.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The National Safety Council expressed dismay by the new numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPedestrians are among our most vulnerable roadway users. They are unprotected and, in most cases, outnumbered,\u201d the NSC noted in a statement. \u201cAs motor vehicle deaths continue to climb, we must not forget that the risks we are all facing extend to the sidewalks too. Everyone deserves safe passage, and these numbers are yet another indication that we must do more to keep each other safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no single cause for the multiyear increase officials suggest, noting that the 2016 figure is 22% higher than 2014. Traffic fatalities overall jumped 6% last year, their highest level in nearly a decade and erasing improvements made during the Great Recession and economic recovery, according to data released last month by the National Safety Council. The council estimates there were more than 40,200 traffic deaths in 2016.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for details about the increase in highway fatalities.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, officials pointed to several factors believed to contributing to the jump in pedestrian deaths during the last two years, including:<\/p>\n