Rise In Pedestrian Deaths Results In Potential Standards Change

Rise In Pedestrian Deaths Results In Potential Standards Change

A shocking increase in pedestrian deaths has led the National Transportation Safety Board to call for new standards in vehicle production. Over the last eight years, incidents of pedestrian fatalities have risen almost fifty percent. A surprising amount of these occurred away from intersections, which poses some unique challenges from a prevention standpoint. Having a large amount of experience in the field of collision, our partners at Service King NW Dallas/I-35 in Dallas, TX support the NTSB in their attempt to change the standards, as stricter regulations involving new technologies may be the key to saving lives.

While an increasing number of the fatal incidents were due to distracted driving, there were many controllable factors that were also involved. Some recommendations the NTSB had for the Federal Highway Administration, state, and local governments include increasing road illumination, lowering speed limits, adding and maintaining sidewalks and crosswalks, and rolling out pedestrian-friendly road designs. 

The board also made several suggestions to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.)

A few of these are to increase vehicle headlight standards, the installation of pedestrian collision avoidance systems, and the adoption of adaptive headlights (headlights that turn as the driver goes around a curve.) 

Jake Fisher, the director of auto testing for Consumer Reports echoes their sentiment, stating “Traffic fatalities are on the rise, and a lot of that is attributed to an increase in pedestrian deaths. These recommendations could do a lot to change the trend.” 

Written By: Todd Hendrickson
Source: msn.com