Originally Posted by
Maelochs
I think these people missed the biggest correlation … miles driven. Fuel costs and the stabilized economy (recall the 2008 crash) play roles here I believe....
On another hand … Five thousand people per year is still a ridiculously low number. All auto deaths have been rising in the past decade … and again, I think more people are driving more miles, and I think the economy is the driving factor, pun semi-intended.
That might be a factor. But, if you see here, the increase in pedestrians kills per capita is much greater than the increase in miles driven
https://www.carinsurance.com/Article...-by-state.aspx
I actually think that the increased use of smart phones (both from distracted drivers and distracted pedestrians) can be another big contributor.
I also don't think that increase power is necessarily a leading factor. In fact, I would guess that cars are becoming safer with their semi-autonomous features. But I also wouldn't rule it out completely. In any case, when I think of power I don't think of speed as much as I think of acceleration. Acceleration plays a big role in our ability to react to unforeseen circumstances. And I'm not sure why you bring up the 55mph vs 65mph comparison. The article speaks of arterial roads. Most arterial roads have 45mph limits and I would guess that most drivers drive in the 45-55mph range in such roads.
Your post starts by causing the article of drawing strong conclusions with insufficient data, and then you go ahead and claim that "The main issue seems to be that pedestrians are getting onto the road surface without sufficient awareness". I wonder where is the data that supports this causal claim.