Sidewalks/Walkability in Massachusetts

[themissinglink]

Fatal pedestrian crashes up sharply in Mass. last year, AAA says - The Boston Globe

The number of pedestrian deaths in the United States declined slightly overall from 2023, the association said.

www.bostonglobe.com

In a statement, AAA said 7,148 pedestrians were killed in crashes last year in the United States, down 4.3 percent from 2023.
But in Massachusetts, 78 pedestrians died in crashes in 2024, up 16 percent from a year earlier, AAA said. The association puts out the numbers annually.
“Walking should be a safe and easy way to get around town, but on average, a pedestrian is killed every 72 minutes and injured every 8 minutes across the country,” Mark Schieldrop, a spokesperson for AAA Northeast, said in a statement.
“To ensure pedestrians get to their destinations safely, drivers should ditch the distractions, slow down near crosswalks, and never get behind the wheel impaired,” it continued.

 

[dshoost88]

Fatal pedestrian crashes up sharply in Mass. last year, AAA says - The Boston Globe

The number of pedestrian deaths in the United States declined slightly overall from 2023, the association said.

www.bostonglobe.com

Vision Zero is the goal, obviously, and it's refreshing to hear that pedestrian fatalities fell nationally year-over-year. What I'm curious to know, though, is what the location quotient of pedestrian mode share is in MA relative to other states/nationally, and how the number of deaths stacks up relative to mode shifts to walking. 16% year over year is a big raw number jump, but if that aligns with a 16% increase in people walking as their primary travel mode, then it's a wash. Maybe I'll study this further.

 

[bigeman312]

Vision Zero is the goal, obviously, and it's refreshing to hear that pedestrian fatalities fell nationally year-over-year. What I'm curious to know, though, is what the location quotient of pedestrian mode share is in MA relative to other states/nationally, and how the number of deaths stacks up relative to mode shifts to walking. 16% year over year is a big raw number jump, but if that aligns with a 16% increase in people walking as their primary travel mode, then it's a wash. Maybe I'll study this further.

I'd love to hear what you find! Food for thought for your study: is mode share the relevant statistic or is pedestrian miles traveled (which is obviously very hard to come by) the relevant statistic?