Pedestrian traffic deaths decline for first time since pandemic after 40-year high in 2022 [Video]

Pedestrian traffic deaths declined last year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic but remained well above pre-pandemic levels, the Governors Highway Safety Association said in a news release Wednesday. 

In 2023, drivers struck and killed 7,318 people in the United States, according to preliminary data from the non-profit association that represents the nation’s highway offices. The data comes from state highway safety offices in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The number of deaths in 2023 were down 5.4% from the year prior — which saw a 40-year high — but were 14.1% higher than the amount of pedestrian traffic deaths recorded in 2019, the association said. 

“A decline in pedestrian deaths offers hope that after years of rising fatalities a new trend is starting,” association CEO Jonathan Adkins said in the news release. “Each death is tragic and preventable. We know how to improve safety for people walking – more infrastructure, vehicles designed …