June 18, 2019—U.S. pedestrian and bicyclist deaths rose in 2018 while overall traffic deaths fell 1 percent in 2018, reported Reuters.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said a dramatic increase in traffic deaths in 2016 was the result of more people killed on foot, bicycle or motorcycle.
In 2018, the overall traffic fatality rate was projected to drop to 1.14 deaths per 100 million miles traveled as deaths fell to 36,750, the lowest rate since 2014. Pedestrian deaths accounted for 16 percent of all U.S traffic deaths in 2017, up from 12 percent in 2009.
The agency has been investigating the role of distracted drivers in overall U.S. traffic death figures but has found challenges in getting an accurate picture of all distracted crashes because of the unwillingness of individuals to acknowledge they were distracted.
