Many leading highway safety experts have stated their concerns over the level of pedestrian safety in Minnesota. News of these concerns comes hot on the heels of some extremely disturbing findings. These seem to indicate that the number of accidents involving pedestrians has risen at an alarming rate. Further, the rise is continuing.
Why are pedestrian deaths becoming more common?
The number of people who were killed in pedestrian accidents throughout the U.S. rose to 7,500 in 2022. This is the highest figure recorded for pedestrians since 1981. Meanwhile, the level of safety for people who were driving cars, trucks, and SUVs increased. This seems to show that the level of attention paid to pedestrians has tailed off to a potentially deadly degree.
Experts have assigned several causes to the recent climb in fatal pedestrian accidents. These include the increasing preference of consumers for heavier and higher riding trucks and SUV’s. People are also driving at much faster speeds than they were even a decade ago. There is also a serious lack of infrastructure for pedestrians.
Progress in pedestrian safety has been reversed
Minnesota accident statistics regarding pedestrians are in line with those recorded in the rest of the U.S. This is the main reason experts are pointing to the higher number of deaths. In fact, they claim that much of the progress made in pedestrian safety has been reversed in the past few years.
The total number of pedestrian deaths between 1980 and 2009 was cut in half from 1980 to 2009. The statistics collected show a drop from 8,070 to 4,109. Since 2010, the trend has reversed. The number of deaths recorded between 2010 and 2019 have risen by 77%. Safety initiatives to address and stem this rise are ongoing.