Unseen Risks: A Dive Into Pedestrian Fatalities and Their Disproportionate Impact

Abstract: Motor vehicle traffic crashes remain the second leading cause of death among unintentional injury causes, while concurrently, rates of pedestrian travel continue to increase. With this rise, it is more critical than ever to explore why this public health crisis occurs, and understand methods of mitigation. Thus, this analysis provides a comprehensive view of pedestrian fatality statistics across demographics, insights into the risk factors for examined populations, and recommendations for future traffic safety implementations from a CDC dataset. We analyzed how sex, age group, ethnicity, race, and urbanization level, sourced from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), impacted pedestrian fatality rates from 2011 to 2019. Specific population-level analyses were conducted, allowing for comparison among subgroups. Significant findings highlighted the highest annualized death rates present among American Indian or Alaska Native populations at 0.62 per 100,000 population and among the 85+ age group at 0.67 per 100,000 population. Outcomes in subgroups such as gender exhibited large disparities, where males have an annualized death rate 2.5 times that of females, which points towards a variety of unique risk factors associated with pedestrian fatality prevalence. Examining these results, a further review of past literature was performed, gleaming information regarding potential explanations for these outlined correlations. For instance, higher annualized pedestrian fatality rates among American Indian or Alaska Native populations may be attributed to a variety of factors, including limited infrastructure on reservations, or rates of alcohol-related motor vehicle collisions. Understanding these statistics within the context of these associations allows for the formulation of fatality prevention strategies. This study highlights the importance of interpreting fatality statistics in the context of their impacts on the distinct and diverse populations affected.