State Pedestrian Accidents

State Pedestrian Accidents

Statistics show that in 2014, fatal motor vehicle accidents fell across almost all segments except pedestrian fatalities, where the number of the people killed while they were walking, running, jogging, and even sitting, steadily increased from 2005. In fact, a total of 4,813 fatal crashes took the lives of 4,884 people in that one year alone. These numbers reflect one pedestrian being killed about every two hours on U.S. roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), estimates that another 65,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents in 2014, which averages to about one injury every eight minutes.

Key Accident Characteristics

• Alcohol was involved in nearly 48 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents, with either the driver or the pedestrian having a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08
• 78 percent of accidents occurred in urban areas, and 71 percent occurred at non-intersections
• 72 percent occurred after sunset
• The average age of pedestrians fatally struck by vehicles was 47, while the average age of those injured was 37
• 70 percent of fatal accident victims were male
• Shockingly, drivers hit a pedestrian and fled in 18 percent of fatal accidents

States Fatality Rates

Pedestrian fatality rates varied widely across the country, from 697 in California to 5 in Wyoming, every state lost far too many. Click your state below to learn about pedestrian safety where you live.