AASHTO Journal - GHSA: Big Year-Over-Year Drop in Pedestrian Fatalities

According to a new data analysis by the Governors Highway Safety Association or GHSA, motorists struck and killed 3,024 people walking during the first half of 2025 – an 11 percent decline from the same period in 2024, which is largest year-over-over drop since GHSA began tracking pedestrian fatalities 15 years ago.

[Above image via GHSA]

“While we are pleased with the progress shown in the data, the only acceptable number of traffic deaths is zero,” noted Jonathan Adkins, GHSA’s executive director, in a statement. “Each pedestrian death is so much more than just a number. Each one is a family member, friend or neighbor that no one will be able to hug, see or share time with ever again.”

While this recent safety momentum is positive, pedestrian deaths remain above the 2019 level, the last year before a steep rise in dangerous driving behaviors and traffic deaths caused by the pandemic.

An in-depth examination of original data GHSA collected from state highway safety offices across the country found that:

The 10.9 percent drop in pedestrian deaths from 2024 to 2025 (January-June) is the largest decrease since GHSA began publishing these reports in 2011 – translating into 371 fewer pedestrian deaths compared to the same period in 2024.
However, that is still 2.5 percent higher than the 2,951 pedestrian fatalities recorded in the January-June 2019 timeframe.
The pedestrian fatality rate measured per 100,000 population fell to 0.90 in 2025 – the lowest mark since 2020. Measured by vehicle miles traveled or VMT, there were 1.86 fatalities per billion VMT, the lowest since 2019.
Pedestrian fatalities increased in 24 states, decreased in 23 states and Washington, D.C, and remained the same in three states for the January-June period comparison between 2024 to 2025. Decreases in states including Alabama, California (down 32 percent), Maryland, New Mexico, and New York drove the nationwide count down from 2024, even though there were the same number of states (plus Washington, D.C.) that posted an increase and a decrease.

“Access to timely, high-quality data is essential to understanding and helping prevent roadway fatalities,” noted Anderson Abernathy, president & COO of Michelin Mobility Intelligence, which conducted the data analysis for GHSA.

“We are encouraged by the progress reflected in this report, but the data also reinforces the need for continued collaboration across public and private sectors to improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians,” he said.

“We believe that integrating advanced analytics with cross-sector collaboration can help identify risk patterns earlier and enable more targeted interventions,” Abernathy added.

As part of that “pattern identification” effort, new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that 15 percent of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene, with one in four pedestrians and nearly as many cyclists killed in crashes that year were hit by a driver who fled the scene.

“While the reasons drivers flee vary, the outcomes are often too severe or fatal and our analysis shows the percentage of this crash type continues to increase during the past several years,” explained Dr. David Yang, president and executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, in a statement. “Drivers must understand that leaving the scene only compounds the harm. Staying, calling for help, and taking responsibility can save lives.”

Other Notable Findings:

Hit-and-run fatalities most often occur late at night or in the early morning hours, when it is dark and witnesses are less likely to be present.
Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40 percent did not have a valid driver’s license and more than half were driving vehicles not registered in their name.
The majority of identified hit-and-run drivers were young, male, and crashed within a short distance of their homes.
Research suggests drivers are less likely to flee when they believe they will be caught, pointing to the potential impact of traffic cameras and “Yellow Alerts” that notify and seek information from the public after serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes.