PHOENIX — Arizona has a problem.
Every year, more and more pedestrians are struck and killed by moving vehicles. While America faces a 40-year high of these fatal crashes, a new study revealed that Arizona is one of the deadliest states in the country.
In just two days, three pedestrians in the Valley have died in fatal crashes. One woman was killed after a collision between two vehicles slammed into her. On Tuesday morning, two separate crashes in Phoenix and Glendale each left a pedestrian dead.
And the numbers are going up statewide
From 2021 to 2022, the number of fatal Arizona crashes involving pedestrians surged from 260 crashes to 307 -- a staggering 18.1% increase, the Governors Highway Safety Association found. By raw total number, it's the biggest increase in the country.
The organization tracks and monitors pedestrian deaths in the United States, and their findings paint a troubling picture: Pedestrian deaths across the country have risen 77% over the last decade. All other traffic fatalities have only risen by 25%. Nationally, that's an average of 20 pedestrian deaths a day, and the highest number since 1981, according to GHSA.
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Adjusted for population, Arizona is ahead of the curve, and that's not good. Arizona had a rate of 4.17 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people in 2022 -- second only to New Mexico's rate of 4.4. We also have a significantly higher rate than the next most deadly state, Florida, which had a rate of 3.7.
To combat the growing rates of pedestrian fatalities, GHSA recommended the Safe System approach outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Roadway Safety Strategy. The report cited examples of Safe System application from across the country.
But Arizona didn't make the cut. No examples of Arizona road safety measures, such as longer yellow lights in Phoenix, were included in the report.
Additionally, the report concluded that the national increase in fatalities can be attributed to states with large increases, such as Arizona, given that several other states saw a declining rate of pedestrian fatalities.
It's a grim problem, but not an unsolvable one, and experts with GHSA say that states are "increasingly adopting a Safe System approach." The question remains if Arizona is going to continue to top these grisly charts.
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