U.S. pedestrian deaths reach their highest level in almost 30 years

Pedestrian deaths are at a 28-year high across the United States. According to a study from the Governors Highway Safety Association, 6,227 pedestrians were killed during traffic-related accidents in 2018.

Some attribute the shocking number to sprawling cities, wider roads and heavier traffic in suburban neighborhoods, but victims’ families and safety advocates are pushing for big changes and say little progress has been made.

Students at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication examined various factors that could be to blame, including the commonality of pedestrian deaths in underserved neighborhoods. The story appeared on PBS NewsHour on June 17, 2019.

Illustration of columns of a capitol building with text reading: Arizona PBS AZ Votes 2024
airs April 18

Arizona PBS presents candidate debates as part of ‘AZ Votes 2024’

Earth Day Challenge graphic with the Arizona PBS logo and an illustration of the earth

Help us meet the Earth Day Challenge!

Graphic for the AZPBS kids LEARN! Writing Contest with a child sitting in a chair writing on a table and text reading: The Ultimate Field Trip
May 12

Submit your entry for the 2024 Writing Contest

The Capital building with text reading: Circle on Circle: Robert Lowell's D.C.
May 2

An evening with ‘Poetry in America’

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters

STAY in touch
with azpbs.org!

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters: