Early Data Suggests Pedestrian Deaths Surged in 2015

WASHINGTON— Pedestrian deaths surged by an estimated 10 percent last year as the economy improved, the price of gas plunged and motorists put more miles behind the wheel than ever before, according to an analysis of preliminary state traffic fatality...

After crossing outside a crosswalk, a pedestrian runs toward a crosswalk at the busy intersection of W. 96th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side, Jan. 27. Craig Ruttle/AP

WASHINGTON—Pedestrian deaths surged by an estimated 10 percent last year as the economy improved, the price of gas plunged and motorists put more miles behind the wheel than ever before, according to an analysis of preliminary state traffic fatality data.

Pedestrian safety is clearly a growing problem across the country.

— Richard Retting, co-author, Governors Highway Safety Association report