The statistics should be reassuring to jurisdictions that have in recent years embraced new traffic safety programs targeted at making roads safer and lowering traffic deaths, which have been steadily increasing since 2014. ADBut while overall traffic fatalities were down, more pedestrians and bicyclists were killed on U.S. roads last year, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all traffic deaths. The share of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes grew by 5 percentage points in a decade, federal data shows. In 2008, 4,414 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and accounted for about 12 percent of all traffic deaths. Some are considering slow-driving zones in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, and many have embraced “Vision Zero,” a program aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Source: Washington Post October 22, 2019 16:41 UTC