543
U.S. Pedestrian Deaths Up 77% Since 2009 & The Auto Industry Knew It Would Happen
(open.substack.com)
this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2025
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The article doesn't talk about the fact that the increase is far greater in dark conditions, which is not readily explained by the changes to car design the article discusses.
This article talks more about that, and the linked report suggests population trends have contributed to more people walking at night along arterial roads with poor pedestrian infrastructure.
To be clear, daytime fatalities are up by about 40% in the interval shown, which is much more than the increase in population. Increasing vehicle size and hood height are real problems too, but don't seem to be the biggest factor.
Daytime fatalities are up 26.5% on this graph. Not good, but not 40%. Population growth was 8.5% over that period
Vehicle numbers are also an important metric to look at, as they grew about 16-17% during the same timeframe. Add the two together and you're not far from 26.5%.
I don't think you can just add those together since an added person will mostly also be an added car. In fact, since cars grew faster than people, perhaps there are fewer pedestrians now. We can't really say.
There are sidewalks on both sides of the street in my neighborhood. People are walking 2 abreast in the street at night and joggers are commonly running about 4 feet into the street from the curb.
Regardless of the article's findings, some people are just oblivious.
What is the condition of your sidewalks? My sidewalks are uneven and a neighborhood grandma who I walk with still prefers the street even though my street is not well lit. Uneven sidewalks are a tripping hazard that can be avoided by walking in the street. Her vision isn't great so a paved stretch of road is just easier to walk with a flashlight.
Morons existed long before 2009. They are not a new phenomenon that accounts for a 40% increase in casualties. So your point, astute though it may be, is tangential to the article.
Top tip: don't hit them.
I knew someone who did that because the sidewalks were too uneven. She had bad ankles and kept rolling them trying to walk in the sidewalk
Since pandemic I’ve fallen twice because of bad sidewalks. It’s embarrassing as shit