Current Events > U.S. pedestrian deaths reach a 40-year high

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184034017/us-pedestrian-deaths-high-traffic-car

The organization, which tracks pedestrian deaths in the U.S., estimates that more than 7,500 pedestrians were killed by drivers last year the highest number since 1981. The final tally may be even greater given that Oklahoma was unable to provide data due to a technical issue.

Pedestrian deaths have been climbing since 2010 because of unsafe infrastructure and the prevalence of SUVs, which tend to be more deadly for pedestrians than smaller cars, according to Martin. When the pandemic arrived, there was an even greater surge as empty roads gave way to speeding and distracted driving.

Not great

it used to be maybe once a year i'd have an encounter where i'm crossing the street and would've died if i hadn't been paying attention and started to sprint to avoid a distracted driver yolo-ing into a turn

now it's like once a month. that's with me now avoiding certain busy intersections entirely.

i wonder how much of it is because of the amount of cars on the road nowadays doing uber/doordash/etc, where time's money

Drivers generally just straight up don't give a fuck about anything around them anymore. A lot of them are distracted, a lot more are fucking entitled.

Seen a lot of drivers on phones while driving also people on phones while crossing the street

also tiktok challenges and the kia boys

Also very little consequences for drivers

if you are sober and kill a Ped it should be minimum 20 years

I definitely think phones have a lot to do with it, too. Both for the distracted drivers and the distracted pedestrians.

Unknown5uspect posted...

Drivers generally just straight up don't give a fuck about anything around them anymore. A lot of them are distracted, a lot more are fucking entitled.

Street races/street take overs too unfortunately.

Think the consensus last time this was posted that it may be due to the rise in larger crossovers/smaller SUVs that are dominating the market.

Trucks and suvs definitely need more regulations to make them safer.

Were_Wyrm posted...

Trucks and suvs definitely need more regulations to make them safer.

The irony is these mutated bastard vehicles are becoming built the way they are just so the manufacturers don't have to obey existing safety regulations for normal sized cars.

Road infrastructure should honestly be changed to force people to be slower.

Also we should automate a lot of traffic laws like speeding, and actually enforce it

We have had so many deaths here in Sacramento due to homeless crossing the freeways.

And with this going on, repugs want to encourage it by making it legal for chuds to run over anyone who inconveniences or offends them.

Monolith1676 posted...

We have had so many deaths here in Sacramento due to homeless crossing the freeways.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/7/AAEhCpAAEmsv.jpg

It cuz of gta games and tiktok

Gritty posted...

Also very little consequences for drivers

if you are sober and kill a Ped it should be minimum 20 years

lmao no, not unless you do it on purpose

should be a year in jail for jaywalking too maybe?

It's not at all a coincidence that it rose so sharply during the pandemic. Covid causes cognitive decline. It's well-documented. This is happening because everyone decided to let it rip.

"Thirteen studies showed a pattern of cognitive impairment in processing speed, inattention, or executive dysfunction assessed through working memory."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9014565/

Is there anything more stupid and reckless than texting while driving?

MabinogiFan posted...

Is there anything more stupid and reckless than texting while driving?

reading a road map 20 years ago >_>

and drunk driving

MabinogiFan posted...

Is there anything more stupid and reckless than texting while driving?

Nope

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

The bigger size of SUVs outweighs all of that

One issue i see A LOT is people walking in the street at night.

There are perfectly good side walks, yet they choose to walk in the street. And SO MANY streets around here have 0 lights and they are wearing all black.

That and they dont like to move when a car is coming. Like, people will straight up keep walking in the middle when a car is right upon them, look at the driver and try to talk some shit. I just dont get it.

Priere posted...

One issue i see A LOT is people walking in the street at night.

There are perfectly good side walks, yet they choose to walk in the street. And SO MANY streets around here have 0 lights and they are wearing all black.

That and they dont like to move when a car is coming. Like, people will straight up keep walking in the middle when a car is right upon them, look at the driver and try to talk some shit. I just dont get it.

I've encountered a lot of that too. Also people jaywalk all the time in my city on busy roads. It's not always the driver's fault

Are Americans uniquely reckless drivers and pedestrians, or might something else explain this?
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/10/10/exactly-how-far-u-s-street-safety-has-fallen-behind-europe-in-four-bombshell-charts

How much of it is due to stupid drivers versus stupid pedestrians. I swear, so many just walk out into the middle of the street when there isn't even a crosswalk or any right of way. They are just dumb.

Unknown5uspect posted...

Drivers generally just straight up don't give a fuck about anything around them anymore. A lot of them are distracted, a lot more are fucking entitled.

this is what it is, imo. I ride a motorcycle and I notice that it's much worse now vs when I first started riding back in 2012.

Intro2Logic posted...

Are Americans uniquely reckless drivers and pedestrians, or might something else explain this?
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/10/10/exactly-how-far-u-s-street-safety-has-fallen-behind-europe-in-four-bombshell-charts

all the shit talk about our infrastructure is true. public transportation is an afterthought because car companies are too big of an influence. road and bridge maintenance costs too much because politicians would rather buy $10,000 rugs for their office. or spend tens of thousands in court trying to take rights away from people. who knows how much embezzlement happens that's just covered up because everyone in charge is involved.

also most americans just don't give a shit about anyone else

People cross busy highways on foot at night over here. They won't be as busy at night but they are all poorly lit.

I was a delivery driver for two years. It's definitely the pedestrians egos getting in the way. You're gonna lose to a car every time.

Yeah a lot of people suck at being pedestrians. Taking their sweet ass time crossing the street and things like that. And it's not like they're old or disabled or anything.

The other day I had to stop in the middle of a 5 way intersection because some morons decided to walk through the crosswalk with no signal. The car in front of me had to slam on their brakes because the people werent even smart enough to look left and then a couple other people standing there were actually dumb enough to start crossing. I had to beep when I saw that and at least they backed up

I do still see way more terrible drivers though

bsp77 posted...

How much of it is due to stupid drivers versus stupid pedestrians. I swear, so many just walk out into the middle of the street when there isn't even a crosswalk or any right of way. They are just dumb.

That is a problem I have seen as well, but where I live crosswalks may as well not exist with how drivers ignore them.

When I am running I have learned not to trust cars coming up to stop signs along side streets. Coming up to the intersection way to fast and overshooting the crossing. Usually two or three close calls over a forty minute run versus two or three a month ten years ago. Closest calls have been drivers making left turns when behind me - have been clipped and nearly so a few times.

Monolith1676 posted...

We have had so many deaths here in Sacramento due to homeless crossing the freeways.

Bro, I was literally on 50 and there was a dude zombie wandering on the literal edge of the highway.

Also, nice to see another Sacramentan

CADE_FOSTER posted...

Seen a lot of drivers on phones while driving also people on phones while crossing the street

That's it

There are certainly other things that can/have caused such accidents but I would almost bet money that a sizeable majority of these deaths were because people weren't paying attention, at all.

As a bicycle rider who uses crosswalks properly and everything, it still doesn't matter half the time. Drivers look for other motor vehicles, that's it. People on foot, bikes, etc. drivers aren't keeping eyes out for them. I was grazed by a car when I was crossing in a crosswalk legally.

Destroyer53 posted...

That is a problem I have seen as well, but where I live crosswalks may as well not exist with how drivers ignore them.

where I grew up most roads didn't even have sidewalks >_> there was usually a couple feet between the road and trees or if there were houses around you could walk a step or two in peoples yards

Im surprised I never got hit riding my bike around those streets because it was way more dangerous than walking

I drive for work so I spend many hours on the roadways each week. I see stupid fuckers just walking out into traffic lanes without even looking, heads up their asses and engrossed in their phone screens with earbuds or headphones. Open your fucking eyes, take them off your screen and look before stepping off the sidewalk. Sure, pedestrians have the right of way. But that doesn't help when you step out in front of large, moving pile of metal.

I've seen a lot of fucking pedestrians lately that walk across intersections when the "No Walk" sign is up, they stroll like it's nothing while cars that have the green light are narrowly missing them, or they'll decide to skip the 2 minute walk to a crosswalk and play Frogger in traffic instead to save all that precious time.

Questionmarktarius posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/7/AAEhCpAAEmsv.jpg

I wish they would follow the sign.

PesticideDream posted...

I've seen a lot of fucking pedestrians lately that walk across intersections when the "No Walk" sign is up, they stroll like it's nothing while cars that have the green light are narrowly missing them, or they'll decide to skip the 2 minute walk to a crosswalk and play Frogger in traffic instead to save all that precious time.

There's no punishment for jaywalking except getting hit by a car any. There should be a deterrent bc people often won't act in their own self interest.

Just wait until we get self driving cars in mass production, and they are incapable of reading human body language with all the nuance of tens of thousands of years of physical and social evolution...

Won't even matter if they can't technically be looking at a phone.

Unknown5uspect posted...

Drivers generally just straight up don't give a fuck about anything around them anymore. A lot of them are distracted, a lot more are fucking entitled.

Its not just drivers. Pedestrians think they are invincible. When I was in college people used to joke all the time I hope someone hits me and pays for my college. Yeah sure real funny until someone actually kills you.

My buddies dad actually was walking on the highway at like 3 or 4am and was struck and killed. Nobody knows to this day why he was out on the highway walking. It was pretty tragic.

Ban cars

I4NRulez posted...

Ban cars

Soon:
"US pedestrians trampled by horses reaches 150-year high"

Illegalize driving for the sake of driving.

Were_Wyrm posted...

Trucks and suvs definitely need more regulations to make them safer.

Wtf is this comment, most of them are safer to drive than cars. Problem is pedestrians are now getting hit in the chest more than their legs, and there's nothing that can be done about that other than better pedestrian education and infrastructure changes.

I4NRulez posted...

Ban cars

We need teleportation chambers like Star Trek.