A recent report ranked Delaware’s pedestrian fatality rank third in the nation for the first half of 2015, behind only Florida and Arizona.
The annual Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Highway Safety Report says in the first 6 months of 2015, Delaware experienced 12 pedestrian fatalities, a 33 percent increase compared to 2014.
This spike is part of a larger trend with nationwide pedestrian accidents up 10 percent from last year, the largest year-to-year increase since the statistics started being tracked four decades ago.
AAA Mid-Atlantic Director of Public and Government Affairs Jim Lardear said that a lack of crosswalks is contributing to the problem.
“One of the most important things that the study reveals is that Delaware has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the country,” Lardear said.
According to state figures, Delaware ended 2015 with 35 pedestrian fatalities, which translates to 27% of all roadway fatalities in the First State.
83% of these fatalities took place outside of municipalities, and 74% occurred along divided highways in Delaware. According to Lardear, these accidents usually take place between 5 and 8 p.m.
A recent AAA Mid-Atlantic poll surveying 1,240 Delaware drivers found drivers may not be aware of the danger pedestrians pose.
50% of drivers said there was not a pedestrian safety problem in Delaware. Only 72% of drivers said they yielded to pedestrians all the time, and 23% said they only yielded if there was a marked crosswalk.
AAA is among those represented on Gov. Markell’s recently created Advisory Council on Walkability and Pedestrian Awareness, which is working to implement a Statewide Pedestrian Action Plan.
“One of the first things we have to do is understand what exactly is the issue? Where can we have the most impact effectively? We kind of don’t want to put the cart before the horse in understanding what’s going on here with pedestrian fatalities,” Lardear said.
