Every day, 20 people walk outside and are struck and killed by a moving vehicle. U.S. pedestrian deaths have now reached a 40-year high, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
A study conducted by the association found that more than 7,500 pedestrians were struck and killed by drivers last year, the highest rate since 1981. The prevalence of more SUVs on the road, which tend to be deadlier than smaller cars, along with unsafe infrastructure are factors that have led to increased pedestrian deaths since 2010.
In Nebraska, pedestrian related crashes with fatalities from a vehicle from 2018 to 2023 have averaged 8.4 a year. Rural areas, such as the majority of the Panhandle, have far more driver related traffic fatalities than urban areas with an average from 2018-2022 of 81.4% of fatalities in rural areas compared to 30.2% in urban areas.
“We all have a responsibility to keep pedestrians and drivers safe while on the road,” said Janelle Visser, Injury Prevention Coordinator with Panhandle Public Health District. “Communities that strive for the safety of pedestrians to co-exist with vehicles are ones that thrive, and we can all work together to make sure that we can have safe streets.”
The association report indicates several ways to help increase traffic safety, including the implementation of sharp corners instead of round curves, pedestrian islands, and large sidewalk bulb-outs. Another potential way to help pedestrians is to offer walk audits in communities. A walk audit is an activity in which participants observe and evaluate the walkability of a location to identify and document if and how pedestrians can safely travel along a street, navigate an intersection, and get from important community locations like the school, grocery story, and pool for example.
Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) has conducted several walk audits throughout the Panhandle and have helped communities point out safety issues such as driver’s not fully stopping at stop signs, inappropriate cell phone use, faded road signage and crosswalks, and lack of walkable and bikeable designated areas. Through the work of area active living advisory committees, several communities have worked to improve their pedestrian safety as well as make their areas more accessible to those that bike, walk, run, or roll. This includes addressing speed limits in certain areas, adding crossing guards at school crosswalks, painting crosswalks, purchasing crossing signs, and creating connected walking pathways.
If your community is interested in working on active living and pedestrian safety, call Janelle Visser at 308-487-3600 ext. 105. Or e-mail jvisser@pphd.ne.gov. Together, we can help our Panhandle pedestrians continue to feel safe while out in their communities.