Georgia Injury Law Blog
Walking has probably never been more dangerous in the United States. In 2016, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased for the second consecutive year. What’s more, those fatality numbers are at alarming new highs.
Pedestrian fatality statistics are especially bleak in the state of Georgia. Georgia was one of eleven states that had fatality rates equal to one or more per 100,000 people. Georgia had a rate of 1.06 fatalities per 100,000 population between January and June 2016.
Data released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) showed that projected pedestrian accident fatality numbers increased by approximately 11% between 2015 and 2016 – the biggest year-to-year spike since the organization began tracking those numbers. In the first half of 2016, there were 2,660 fatalities in pedestrian accidents. During the same period of time in 2015, there were 2,486 fatalities. The report projected a 22% increase in pedestrian fatalities in 2016 from 2014.