CA roads are 3rd deadliest in US for pedestrians, data shows.

Source: ABC7 News | January 25, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A quarter of California's fatalities are pedestrians, and that trend has worsened over the past decade.

In 2012, there were 653 pedestrian fatalities statewide, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analyzed by the ABC7 News I-Team. That jumped to 1,108 in 2021. California's roadways are the third-deadliest state for pedestrians.

"They're fatalities. We're not talking about near hits," said State Sen. Anthony Portantino, (D-Glendale). "We're talking about fatalities. We're talking about pedestrians and bikers who are being killed because they're in a public space."

"We are seeing nationally, pedestrian deaths are the highest they've been since 1981," said Jonathan Adkins, the CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association. "That's kind of crazy because our vehicles are safer. We've made a lot of improvements in technology, but yet we're killing more and more people just because they're going out for a walk."

Adkins said all of these crashes are preventable.

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