Walking is great for your health, and more and more Americans are picking it as their preferred method of transit. But there’s one important risk to watch out for when you’re walking: Pedestrian deaths are spiking, a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) shows.
According to the report, the number of pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. increased by 25 percent from 2010 to 2016. Compare that to total traffic deaths, which rose by just 6 percent during that same time.
What’s more, the GHSA estimates that pedestrian fatalities rose 11 percent from 2015 to 2016, which is the largest one-year increase that they’ve seen in the 40 years they’ve been keeping national records. More sobering? The second-largest increase occurred in 2015, showing that we’re firmly planted in a dangerous trend.
The data also showed that the most dangerous areas were not intersections. In fact, only 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities occurred there. On the other hand, non-intersection travel lanes, like midblocks or on the highway, accounted for the vast majority of pedestrian fatalities—nearly 3 out of every 4. Non-travel lanes, like shoulders and driveways, made up 10 percent of all pedestrian deaths.
What’s to blame for the rising risk? Things like cheaper gas prices, weather conditions, more miles traveled, and more people out walking may be partly to blame.
But one more recent contributing factor is probably smartphone distraction, the authors believe. The growing use of these kinds of devices likely diverts attention away from both pedestrians and drivers, leading to potentially deadly results. (Here’s why sane, non-suicidal grownups still continue to text and drive.)
So put the phone down—when you’re behind the wheel and when you’re taking a stroll. People who text while crossing the street are nearly 4 times more likely to display at least on unsafe behavior, like disobeying the lights or crossing mid-intersection, a University of Washington study found.
