According to areportreleased in early 2018 from the National Safety Council , the figure of Americans killed in motor vehicle accident in 2017 dropped slenderly — just 1 percent — over 2016 . That ’s a bit of good news , despite the fact that still more than 40,000 people were killed on the roads in both year .
What ’s disturbing , however , is even though dealings deaths showed a decline between 2016 and 2017 in the United States , walker death did not . According to a 2018 report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ( IIHS ) , walker fatalities have increased 46 percent from 2009 to 2016 , despite Modern safety engineering take aim specifically at deoxidise the likelihood of pedestrians being struck by vehicles . And it ’s not just the IIHS whose routine show a spike in footer deaths . The National Transportation Safety Board ’s 2016Pedestrian Safety Forumstudy concluded that 16 footer on average were killed every day in the United States , an increase from its 2016 estimate of 15 pedestrians per day .
Why So Many Deaths?
So why the step-up in pedestrian deaths ? Thecausesare numerous . People drive more , and they drive faster . Speed limitsare increasing . Big and heavy SUVs , which are still realise popularity , are more severe to pedestrians . Drivers aredistractedby electronic devices .
Infrastructure plays a function , too , since data shows that pedestrians are more likely to be strike in orbit that do n’t have enough sidewalk or where dealings lights and signage are not well maintained .
So where are these issues the most tough ? According to an email consultation with Kim Stewart , senior editor at IIHS , and publish report :
Where and when do most pedestrian decease occur ?
Who ’s most at danger ?
" The increase [ in pedestrian deaths ] has been mostly in urban or suburban areas , at non - intersections , on arterials ( meddlesome roads designed mainly to funnel fomite traffic toward freeways ) and in the dark , " Stewart says . " Though most pedestrian crashes involve machine , fatal single - vehicle crash are increasingly likely to demand SUVs and high-pitched - HP fomite . "
Thehigh - horsepowerfactor is peculiarly alarming . Moreresearch by IIHSfound that the higher the horsepower - to - weight proportion of a fomite , the quicker it ’s likely to be driven . trip fast both reduces a driver ’s reaction meter and increases the space required to slow down or stop a car . Also , the faster a vehicle is travel when it hit a pedestrian ( or any obstruction ) , the more impact it will cause .
How to Make Vehicles Safer
A lot of vehicle safety examination and founding pore on protect a vehicle ’s number one wood and passengers in a hit , but that can be bad news for pedestrians . According toa reportby the Governors Highway Safety Association , these rubber measures , which typically focus on ameliorate morphological unity , can make a fomite more pernicious if it hits a pedestrian . However , automakers also are steadily range out new safety engineering science designed to reduce impacts with pedestrians and other obstacles .
These featuresinclude :
According to IIHS ’s Stewart , front - crash prevention systems are especially important , particularly those designed to work in low - spark conditions .
" Front - crash bar systems unendingly monitor traffic in front of vehicles and warn driver of potential collisions , " she suppose . " Many systems automatically put on the brake when a clash is at hand . Most current system are designed mainly to plow front - to - rear crash with conduct fomite . Some systems are designed to prevent or mitigate crashes with pedestrians as well . "
One example isSubaru ’s EyeSightdriver assist engineering , which Stewart say was hit the books by the Highway Loss Data Institute . Based on insurance records , pedestrian wound title rates were35 percent loweramong vehicles with EyeSight than among vehicles without , which shows that such systems are effective .
Infrastructure Needs Improvement, Too
" An IIHS review of dealings engineering measures to reduce footer crashes name three main approaches : separate pedestrians from vehicles by time or space , making walker easier to blot and reducing fomite speeds , " Stewart says .
That intend more sidewalks , overpass , subway , resort islands in the medians of two - way streets , and dealings signal to give footer metre to cross streets without sharing the signal with cars . In addition to amend fomite lighting , many areas also need better street inflammation , too , so driver can more easily see people on or near the roadways .
Finally , Stewart say , it ’s important to remember that plainly slow up down when driving will slim the number of walker impacts , as well as the severity of injury when they are hit . She tell the IIHS is in favour of reducing upper limit and using speed tv camera to avail implement them .
