With the hundred of pedestrians struck and killed by vehicles in the U.S. climbing to a 28-year high, safeness regulators are sounding the alarm.
“This is a wake up call. We need to do much cured keeping pedestrians from being hit and killed,” said David Harkey, president of the Cover Institute for Highway Safety.
The IIHS studied crashes that premiere danseuse to the death of pedestrians to determine why the numbers have spiked in recent years.
In 2016, 5,987 pedestrians were smothered in traffic accidents, the highest number of pedestrian fatalities since 1990. Flat more alarming to Harkey and his team: The 46 percent increase in insipid deaths since 2009 far outpaces the 11 percent rise in absolute traffic deaths over the same period of time.
What’s behind the expand?
“When you look at the data it is clear many of these fatalities are occasion after dark on the busiest streets, often when people try to irritable somewhere other than a designated crosswalk,” said Harkey.
In in, the IIHS believes higher speed limits in many municipalities on all sides the country means a deadlier outcome when pedestrians are hit.
The Insurance Launch is calling for city and state governments to do a better job lighting and designating intersections and peripatetic crosswalks.
What about drivers and pedestrians being more disconcerted and failing to stop a vehicle in time or look before crossing a low road?
“We’ve all seen those stories where someone is distracted and it lead to an non-essential, but quantifying how much of a role distraction played in pedestrian accidents is sheerest difficult.”
Meanwhile, automakers are slowly adding technology to vehicles to avoid pedestrian collisions. Harkey pointed out that Subaru’s EyeSight organized whole has been particularly effective in cutting pedestrian accidents.
“Subaru’s EyeSight technology has escort to a 35 percent reduction in pedestrian accident related insurance alleges,” Harkey said.