Figures from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) show a huge increase in pedestrian fatalities in the United States over the past 10 years. Bigger and heavier vehicles are not helping.

In short, the average vehicle size has grown significantly along with the increase in pedestrian deaths. This is no great surprise, in light of a 1990s study revealing that light trucks were twice as likely to injure pedestrians as a car, especially at low speeds.

In 2021, some 7,388 pedestrians died and approximately 60,577 were injured in traffic crashes in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The data analysis found that while pedestrian deaths during the first six months of 2024 fell slightly from the year before, they are 12% higher than 2019 and up a shocking 48% since 2014. Over the last decade, deaths of people on foot have risen at a pace nearly seven times higher than U.S. population growth (7%).

Another contributing factor is pedestrians who wear dark clothing when walking in the street or on roads. It is important that pedestrians walking on the road be seen by drivers, but dark clothing makes it very difficult for drivers to see them. It is best to wear reflective clothing or light-colored clothing at a minimum. If you are walking along a road at night, carry a flashlight or wear a headlamp or a flashing lamp to help drivers see you.

Just as important as wearing bright or reflective clothing, pedestrians should always walk on the left side, facing traffic. Not only is this the law, but it enables pedestrians to watch approaching traffic. If a vehicle is drifting toward the shoulder, a pedestrian will at least have a better chance of avoiding being struck.

A good example of this is on Finney Boulevard (state Route 30) in Malone, where there are no sidewalks from Franklin Street to “The Trails” in the Malone housing project. This results in many pedestrians walking along Finney Boulevard to visit businesses between Franklin Street and U.S. Route 11 and along West Main Street, often at dusk, during bad weather or even at night. Far too many of these walkers wear dark clothing and often walk on the wrong side of the road, with traffic rather than against it, as they should.

Here are a few more safety tips for pedestrians:

¯ Cross streets in marked crosswalks and at intersections.

¯ Use the pedestrian pushbutton and WAIT for the “walk” signal to cross.

¯ Before crossing, look left, right and left again, and make eye contact with drivers — don’t look at your smartphone.

¯ Use sidewalks if they are available.

For drivers, yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, don’t block crosswalks when stopping at intersections and always look for pedestrians, especially when turning.