Fatal Pedestrian Accidents in Alaska
Alaska is known for its scenic landscapes; it is a large and secluded state that doesn’t have many populated cities. Knowing this, you wouldn’t expect there to be many fatal accidents in Alaska. Alaska had an average of 8.80 fatalities due to automobile accidents per 100,000 residents, while the U.S. has an average of 10.92 fatalities per 100,000 in 2015. This number is fairly high due to the small population of Alaska. In 2015, 65 residents of Alaska were killed in fatal automobile accidents, while the total number of citizens killed in accidents in the U.S. was 35,092.
Pedestrians are also involved in automobile accidents. In 2010 there was a total of 56-recorded deaths due to traffic accidents, and of these, 6 were pedestrians. Those 6 deaths accounted for 9% of deaths due to fatal traffic accidents in the year of 2010. This number has grown over time. In 2012, of the 59 deaths caused by traffic accidents, 8 of the individuals were pedestrians. That is 14% of the deaths in 2012. In 2015 the numbers climbed even higher. There was a total of 65 deaths with 12 of the victims being pedestrians. This is 18% of the deaths caused by traffic accidents. While the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents has stayed relatively the same, the percent of pedestrian deaths has increased.
When looking at the race of the pedestrians killed in traffic accidents American Indians and White citizens are much more likely to be killed as pedestrians. Over the past five years, these two races have accounted for over 90% of the fatal pedestrian deaths, with all other races making up less than 10% of pedestrian death caused by traffic accidents.