Pedestrian deaths dropped in California last year, but still above pre-pandemic rate, report says

A new national report found that vehicles struck and killed an estimated 1,057 pedestrians on California roads in 2023 — a 13% decrease from the 1,208 California pedestrians killed in 2022, but still 4% higher than 2019’s pre-pandemic death toll of 1,020.

The state has a pedestrian death rate about 24% higher than the national average, with 2.71 pedestrians killed in traffic collisions for every 100,000 residents in 2023. The Governors Highway Safety Association calculated that the national average is 2.19 deaths per 100,000 people.

The highest rate was in New Mexico, at 4.68 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents. The lowest rate was in Nebraska, at 0.71.

Pedestrian deaths nationwide remained higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the association found in the report. In 2023, there were 14% more pedestrian deaths than in 2019.

In 2019, 6,412 people on foot were struck by vehicles and killed in the U.S. Last year, according to the report’s estimate, 7,318 people died.

In 2023, California and Arizona led the nation in reducing traffic deaths. The report found a 5% decrease in pedestrian deaths between 2022 and 2023, and 58% of the change was explained by fewer deaths in those two states.

The Governors Highway Safety Association looked at preliminary nationwide data on 2023 fatalities compiled by state highway safety offices.

Research and a substantially lower death rate in other wealthy countries indicate that a vast majority of pedestrian deaths are preventable through changes to infrastructure and policy.

“Many parts of the country lack infrastructure — such as sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting — that help protect people on foot,” the association said in a news release accompanying the report.

Half as many people, three times as many dead pedestrians

Germany had more than twice the population of California in 2021, but California had three times as many dead pedestrians. In the same year, the U.S. had about four times as many residents as Germany; according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the U.S. also had 22 times as many dead pedestrians.

California has made some attempts to address its staggering numbers of preventable deaths. As of Jan. 1, it is illegal under state law to park within 20 feet of a crosswalk. The law was changed to increase pedestrian visibility.

The state is also examining the relationship between vehicle size and deaths, and how policy might change to account for risks to cyclists and pedestrians.

Part of the rise in pedestrian deaths is explained by increases in vehicle sizes in the U.S. Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that, compared to cars with a hood height of 30 inches or less, vehicles with hood heights over 40 inches are 45% more likely to kill a pedestrian in a crash.

Cars have steadily grown to hulking proportions. In the hood heights report, the highway safety institute said that the average U.S. passenger vehicle has grown 8 inches taller and gained 1,000 pounds in the past 30 years. The Environmental Protection Agency found that between 2022 and 2023, the average vehicle footprint — essentially the space taken up between all four tires — increased by 6%. USA Today reported that some of the most popular SUVs were growing every year, usually by multiple inches.

And as state lawmakers consider policy changes in California’s capital, people continue to die on city streets.

The Sacramento Bee has reported on 12 pedestrians and cyclists who have died this year: Mattie Nicholson, 56, Kate Johnston, 55, Jeffrey Blain, 59, Aaron Ward, 40, Sam Dent, 41, Terry Lane, 55, David Rink, 51, Tyler Vandehei, 32, James C. Lind, 54, Jose Valladolid Ramirez, 36, Larry Winters, 76, and Sau Voong, 84.