Report: Macon, Georgia, Has Most Pedestrian Fatalities in State

MACON, GA. – The City of Macon, Georgia, has the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the state, according to a news report posted online at underthegeorgiasun.com. The news of Macon’s state ranking comes on the heels of a national report indicating that pedestrian road deaths are trending toward the highest number in about 30 years.

Highways in Macon see a large amount of traffic and have sparse lighting without many crosswalks, the report from The Georgia Sun says. In 2018, at least 14 people were killed in pedestrian-versus-vehicle accidents in the city, which the highest number for Macon in seven years. Three of these fatal pedestrian crashes happened in only one weekend in 2018. 

“I found that Macon was leading the state in pedestrian deaths, and it bothered me,” said Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Elaine Lucas. “Macon should not lead the state and be way up there in the nation for pedestrian deaths. We just shouldn’t be. It’s an important health issue, public health issue, public safety issue, and one that we are finding that we can address.”

Macon is not alone in the state or the country for an upward trend in pedestrian traffic deaths. The Governors Highway Safety Association recently published a national report stating that pedestrian fatalities in 2018 were higher than any year since 1990. A total of 6,227 pedestrians died in traffic collisions in the country in 2018, according to the GHSA report. This was a 7 percent jump from 2017. 

The state of Georgia had a significant share of the national pedestrian fatality total. The state saw 133 pedestrian deaths in 2018, placing it No. 4 in the country for most pedestrian fatalities. Georgia only had lower numbers of pedestrian fatalities than California, Florida, and Texas. 

Accident News is a driver safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help drivers better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:https://www.underthegeorgiasun.com/2019/03/11/macon-has-the-most-pedestrian-deaths-in-georgia/