pedestrian wrongful death

Published on: July 24, 2026

Pedestrian Fatalities Still High After Covid

In so many areas of American life, there is a before the pandemic and after the pandemic. One of these areas, unfortunately, concerns pedestrian deaths. During and after the pandemic, pedestrian deaths spiked, with 7,485 deaths in 2021, the highest number in 40 years. Thankfully, pedestrian deaths are on the decline. In 2025, deaths per 100,000 population dropped below 2.0 for the first time since the pandemic with a 7% decrease from 2024. Unfortunately, this is still 5% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with a total of 6,732 pedestrians killed by motor vehicles. In addition to the total numbers of fatalities, State Highway Safety Offices’ data was analyzed by Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), and they discovered the following insights about pedestrian accidents and deaths.

More than 1,100 people (15% of all pedestrian deaths) died on freeways and interstates, which aren’t designed for people walking. This number includes people not normally considered pedestrians, such as first responders and tow truck drivers. Many people are also injured or killed when exiting vehicles after an accident or car breakdown. This highlights the need to stay in your vehicle after an accident until first responders arrive, and not to leave the vehicle unless necessary.

SUVs and pickups account for more than half of pedestrian fatalities. In 2024, 50.4% of pedestrian fatalities were related to light trucks, which includes pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans, whereas 40.6% were caused by passenger cars. As more Americans drive large vehicles, pedestrian fatalities are likely to continue rising, even as deaths for auto passengers decline.

Published on: April 3, 2025

Data Indicates 50% Increase in Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An analysis of data by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association finds that while pedestrian accident death numbers have dropped since last year, the final tally is still a close to 50% increase over a decade ago.

According to the analysis by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, a total of 334 people were killed in pedestrian accidents during the first 6 months of 2024. That was a drop of 2.6% from the same period of time the previous year. There were 88 fewer deaths during the first 6 months of 2024 compared to the first 6 months of 2023.

That is the good news. The bad news is that this was an increase of 48% from the same period a decade earlier. Between January and June 2024, there were a staggering 1,072 more pedestrian accident fatalities compared to the period between January and June 2014.

Published on: July 16, 2024

Welcome Drop in Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths in 2023

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New data finds a drop of 5% in the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents in the United States last year.

The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released new data that finds a 5.4% drop in the number of pedestrians being killed in auto accidents compared to the previous year. In 2023, a total of 7,318 pedestrians were killed in car accidents.

While the news of a drop in the number of deaths is encouraging, it is too early for celebration. The fact is that pedestrian accident numbers continue to remain stubbornly high. According to Governors Highway Safety Association data, the numbers in 2022 were a 14% increase over pre- pandemic numbers. Pedestrian deaths accounted for close to 18% of all auto accident deaths in 2022. Between 2010 and 2022, there was a shocking 77% increase in pedestrian accident wrongful deaths, and the increase in overall traffic accident deaths was just 22 percent during this time.

Published on: July 13, 2023

Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths In 2022 Highest on Record in 40 Years

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

In 2022, the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents crossed 7,500, the highest on record in 40 years. This is a tragic statistic that demonstrates a problem that is without an easy solution.

The rising number of pedestrian deaths has been a source of concern for transportation safety advocates and pedestrian groups across the country. However, the actual state of pedestrian safety may be even worse than earlier believed. The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released its estimates of the total number of pedestrian fatalities in 2022, and the numbers are staggering. The Governors Highway Safety Association believes that a total of 7,508 pedestrians were killed in car accidents last year, the highest number on record since 1981. That year, a total of 7,837 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents. The total for 2022 are very likely even be higher because final estimates were not provided by the state of Oklahoma.

Most states recorded an increase in car accident fatalities in 2022, including Georgia, where a total of 335 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents in 2022. That was an increase of 14 deaths from the 321 pedestrians killed in auto accidents in 2021. The jump in pedestrian accidents in 2022 is even more concerning because it marks a 77% increase since 2010, while the jump in car accident fatalities over all has been just 25% since 2010.

Published on: August 17, 2022

Georgia Ranks in Top 10 for Deadly Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new report ranks Georgia in the top 10 in a list of states ranked based on pedestrian accident deaths. It is very likely that the majority of these pedestrian accidents resulted in wrongful death lawsuits.

The number of people being killed while walking has increased significantly over the last few years, especially during the pandemic. Even as there was a dip in driving across Georgia during March 2020, there was no corresponding drop in the number of fatal car accidents, especially those involving pedestrians. If anything, the number of people dying in these car accidents actually increased.

Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition recently released a new report titled Dangerous by Design. The report evaluates the performance of all 50 states in ensuring the safety of pedestrians, and ranks metropolitan areas as well as all 50 states based on the number of pedestrian deaths occurring in the states. Georgia is ranked at a dismal 9. There is more bad news. None of the states that are listed in the top 20 have seen any success in reducing the number of pedestrian accident deaths, compared to the previous report.

Published on: March 31, 2021

Pedestrian Deaths Spiked in 2020 in Spite of Drop in Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The year 2020 is likely to be known not just as the year of the pandemic, but, unfortunately, also the year of record pedestrian accident deaths. Those fatality numbers touched record highs during the first six months of 2020, in spite of the fact that fewer people were driving during this period of time.

According to the statistics released by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, while there were fewer vehicle miles driven during the first 6 months of 2020 due to the pandemic, there was an increase in the incidence of dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding and distracted driving. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association points to these factors as possible causes of the significant increase in pedestrian accident deaths during this time.

According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, which released a report titled Spotlight on Highway Safety, there was a 20% increase in pedestrian accident deaths, compared to a 5% increase in all other car accident fatalities, in the country from January to June 2020.

Published on: February 28, 2019

Pedestrian Deaths at a 28-year High

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Pedestrian safety statistics in the United States are have been pretty grim lately. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that in 2016, there was a pedestrian accident fatality every 1.5 hours in the United States. Even more alarming, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that the number of pedestrian deaths in 2018 were at a 28-year high.

Georgia was one of five states that accounted for almost half of the number of pedestrian deaths just in the first six months of 2018. In the Atlanta area, pedestrian deaths were also on the rise, especially in 2017, with an alarming number pedestrian accidents occurring on highways.

A recent report by the GHSA found that pedestrian deaths were higher among certain groups including the poor, people of color, and those without health insurance, as these groups were more likely to live in areas that have fewer sidewalks and are otherwise more dangerous for pedestrians. The GHSA also found that, the elderly and children were especially vulnerable to being struck as a pedestrian.

Published on: October 22, 2018

Dangerous Street Designs Cause Increase in Pedestrian Fatalities

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The metro Atlanta area has seen an increase in the number of people who choose to walk for recreation. While this is good news, it also, unfortunately, means that there has been an increase in the number of deaths that occur in accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians. With more and more distracted drivers on Atlanta’s roads, this upward tick is only going to continue. In fact, some pedestrian advocacy groups say that unless authorities take drastic steps, those fatality numbers could reach unthinkable highs by 2020.

According to statistics, the metro Atlanta area, which encompasses 20 counties, has seen an increase in pedestrian accident deaths from 1,700 in 2006 to more than 2,500 in 2015. That is an increase of a whopping 53 percent. This also mirrors a nationwide increase in pedestrian accident fatalities that has safety advocates very alarmed.

There has been a growing trend across the metro Atlanta area for a more walkable lifestyle, which includes being able to walk or bicycle to work. Oftentimes, however, pedestrians must walk on roads that are not designed for walking or bicycling. These types of roads can include those without (or too narrow) sidewalks or bike lanes, multi-lane roads and over congested roads. Some of the more dangerous roads in the metro Atlanta area include Buford Highway, Tara Boulevard, Piedmont Road and Peachtree Road, just to name a few. Roads such as these can place a pedestrian at an increased risk of being involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Not surprisingly, when a pedestrian is involved in such an accident, it usually results in serious injuries, or even death, to the pedestrian. In certain parts of Atlanta, such as the densely populated intown areas, fatalities have increased significantly over the past several years. In these dense areas, the roads have been designed to move traffic along as speedily as possible. Unfortunately, pedestrians often find that their safety needs are not necessarily considered when improvements are made to road design.

Published on: May 27, 2014

Pedestrian Fatality Study Underscores Georgia’s Poor Record

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia ranks at the bottom of the heap when it comes to protecting pedestrians from serious or fatal injuries in accidents.

According to a new study, a small group of states accounts for some of the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the country.The study was conducted by the National Complete Streets Coalition, where researchers analyzed numbers involving more than 47,025 pedestrian fatalities that occurred over a 10 year period. When analysis of the data was complete, some states were found to have an abysmal record in keeping pedestrians safe and preventing accidents.

The study established a Pedestrian Danger Index, which measured the number of fatalities relative to the number of pedestrians on the street, and found that some states had managed to keep fatalities very low. These included New York and Washington DC.

Published on: January 17, 2012

Even As Car Accident Wrongful Deaths Drop, Increase in Pedestrian Wrongful Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

In 2010, there was a record drop in auto accident deaths from the previous year.However, the number of people dying in pedestrian accidents actually increased.

Last year, 32,885 people died in auto accidents across the United States.That was a drop of 2.9% from 2009.These were the lowest traffic accident death numbers on record since 1949.These accident fatality numbers have declined even as the number of miles being driven by American motorists increased in 2010.In fact, there was a drop in almost all categories of car accident deaths last year, including drunk driving accidents.

However, pedestrians were not safer in 2010.Pedestrian accident deaths actually increased last year by about 4.2% from 2009.Further, the number of persons who suffered a personal injury in pedestrian accidents in the United States increased by a staggering 19 %.Overall, more than 70,000 pedestrians were injured in accidents last year.That increase is puzzling considering that it comes after 4 straight years of declining pedestrian accident death numbers in the US.