More Maryland Pedestrians Killed On Roads In 2018: Report

MARYLAND — The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads in 2018 was the highest it has been since 1990, with 12 more Maryland deaths recorded last year than 2017, according to a projection released by the Governors Highway Safety Association. While pedestrian deaths increased 4 percent overall compared to 2017, the figure actually decreased in 23 states and stayed the same in two states for the first half of 2018.

Using preliminary data provided by states, the report tabulated the number of pedestrian deaths in 2018 both nationally and at the state level for the first six months of the year. The report’s projection for the total number of pedestrians killed in 2018 was based on data underreporting and historic trends. The report estimates that 6,227 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roads in 2018.

In Maryland, 60 pedestrians were killed on roads during the first half of 2018, the report projects. That’s a 25 percent increase compared to the first half of 2017.

One of the worst cases happened in November 2018 after at least seven pedestrians were hit by cars in Montgomery County in less than 24 hours. The accidents happened hours before the Montgomery County Council met with officials from the Maryland State Highway Administration to discuss pedestrian and traffic safety.

"It has been this whole mentality that cars and that speed rules," Councilman Roger Berliner said. "And the faster we can get cars through intersections the better. This has to stop."

While pedestrian deaths have increased over a 10-year period from 2008-2017, the number of other traffic deaths has decreased 6 percent, the report says. Furthermore, pedestrian deaths as a percentage of total car-crash deaths increased 4 percent.

Just fives states — Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas — accounted for almost half of all pedestrian deaths for the first half of 2018, the report says.

Various factors are cited in the report for the increase, including population growth, the amount of time people spend walking and the shift in car sales from passenger cars to light trucks, which cause “more severe pedestrian impact than cars,” the report says. Yet another possible factor named in the report is smartphone use though the report notes there isn’t enough evidence to link the increase in smartphone use with the increase in pedestrian deaths.

You can read the full report here.

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