MA Pedestrian Deaths Up Sharply In 2022, A Year When 7,500 Died Walking In U.S.: Study

MASSACHUSETTS — A report released this week by the Governors Highway Safety Association counted over 7,500 pedestrians deaths in 2022, the highest number since 1981.

The grim figure is part of a longer trend of increasing pedestrians deaths on U.S. roadways. In 2010, 4,302 pedestrians were killed in traffic collisions, accounting for 13% of all traffic deaths. By 2021, pedestrian deaths accounted for nearly 18% of all traffic deaths, according to the GHSA report. Pedestrians deaths have increased 77% since 2010, compared to 25% for all other traffic deaths.

In Massachusetts, pedestrians died at a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 in 2022, according to the report, which is below the national average — but that figure is on the rise.

GHSA reported that 100 Massachusetts pedestrians died in 2022, up from 76 in 2021 — the 6th highest increase out of all 50 states. That matches with a recent WalkMassachusetts study showing pedestrian deaths jumped 35 percent in the state in 2022.

Massachusetts saw multiple high-profile pedestrian deaths in 2022, including a 5-year-old Worcester girl who died after a speeding driver hit her in a crosswalk; two Peabody girls hit and injured by an SUV driver; a New Jersey man killed and 16 others hurt when an SUV driver crashed through an Apple Store in Hingham; a Sudbury man who founded an art lending library killed in Acton; and a Fenway Park employee killed walking in Quincy.

Pedestrian death rates per 100,000 in 2022:

1. New Mexico — 4.40
2. Arizona — 4.17
3. Florida — 3.70
4. Louisiana — 3.62
5. South Carolina — 3.29
6. Delaware — 3.24
7. Oregon — 3.09
8. Georgia — 3.07
9. Tennessee — 2.91
10. Nevada — 2.83
11. California — 2.82
12. Texas — 2.78
13. Mississippi — 2.76
14. North Carolina — 2.57
15. District of Columbia — 2.38
16. Alabama — 2.21
17. Arkansas — 2.20
18. Kentucky — 2.19
19. Maryland — 2.09
20. Missouri — 2.09
21. New Jersey — 2.05
22. Hawaii — 2.01
23. Montana — 1.96
24. Virginia — 1.95
25. Michigan — 1.78
26. Connecticut — 1.71
27. Washington — 1.67
28. Alaska — 1.64
29. Indiana — 1.60
30. Kansas — 1.60
31. Illinois — 1.59
32. Utah — 1.57
33. Maine — 1.52
34. New York — 1.51
35. West Virginia — 1.46
36. Massachusetts — 1.43
37. Pennsylvania — 1.43
38. Ohio — 1.41
39. Wyoming — 1.38
40. South Dakota — 1.32
41. Wisconsin — 1.27
42. Colorado — 1.22
43. Nebraska — 1.22
44. New Hampshire — 1.15
45. Vermont — 1.08
46. Idaho — 0.98
47. Minnesota — 0.80
48. North Dakota — 0.77
49. Rhode Island — 0.64
50. Iowa — 0.56

According to GHSA, several factors have contributed to the rise of pedestrian deaths.

Pedestrians have long been more likely to die at night when visibility is lower, especially in areas where sidewalks and other protections aren't available. About 77% of pedestrian deaths happened at night in 2021, according to the report. Nearly 70% of pedestrian deaths happened in an area without sidewalks that same year.

"Since 2010, nighttime fatal crashes have increased by 86%, compared with a 31% rise in daytime pedestrian deaths," GHSA said.

The type of vehicle is also a factor. Deaths by SUV have increased 120% over the last decade, although passenger cars were involved in a majority of deaths.

"Because of their greater body weight and larger profile, SUVs and other light trucks can cause more harm to a person on foot when a crash occurs," the report said.

The report also found racial disparities in pedestrian deaths. The latest data available between 2018 and 2020 showed that deaths of Black, non-Hispanic pedestrians rose from 19 to 20%, and Hispanic from 20 to 21%. Deaths of white pedestrians fell from 41 to 47%.

"The saddest part is that these crashes are preventable. We know what works — better-designed infrastructure, lower speeds, addressing risky driving behaviors that pose a danger to people walking. We must do these things and more to reverse this awful trend and protect people on foot. Enough is enough," GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins said in a news release.