By Khalid Khattak
Welcome to the second episode of the Data Discovery series. In this post, we will delve into some datasets on pedestrian casualties in the United States.
The document we’re exploring today, titled “Traffic Safety Facts” was prepared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation. It includes data on total fatalities, pedestrian fatalities, total injuries, and pedestrian injuries in traffic crashes for the year 2022, along with a 10-year comparison from 2013 to 2022. Released July this year, it’s the latest official source. Remember, you can use FOI or sunshine laws to request the most up-to-date datasets from relevant departments.
The NHTSA document’s datasets offer valuable insights for crafting an in-depth data story on pedestrian fatalities and injuries in traffic crashes across all U.S. states. They can also serve as a crucial resource for follow-up stories after future incidents.
For the year 2022, in addition to the percentage of pedestrian fatalities relative to total fatalities, the document offers datasets on various factors, including the age and sex of pedestrians killed or injured in traffic crashes, alcohol involvement by the driver and/or pedestrian, and pedestrian fatalities categorized by rural or urban classification, location, light conditions, season, and time of day. It also details the types of vehicles involved in the crashes and their impact points.
In light of the recent news that General Motors’ Cruise unit is recalling nearly 1,200 robotaxis due to hard braking issues—following an NHTSA investigation initiated in December 2022 after reports of two injuries in three rear-end crashes—one key point of interest is the involvement of autonomous vehicles in pedestrian fatalities or injuries. Notably, the NHTSA document under discussion does not include driverless or autonomous vehicles in its vehicle type categories.
First episode: Revealing patterns in transgender education data
The state-wise data shows that California had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities at 1,158, while North Dakota and Vermont each reported only 6 fatalities. It’s worth investigating the reasons behind these differences and the factors contributing to the higher and lower numbers of traffic crashes.
According to NHTSA’s “Traffic Safety Facts,” 7,522 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2022, averaging 21 per day and 145 per week. The daily average of 21 is significant and helps illustrate the scale of the issue and provides a straightforward way to understand the data. It raises questions about road safety measures. Wondering how these averages were determined? Watch this video!
Similarly, city-wise data reveals that Los Angeles, CA had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities at 153, while Boston, MA had the fewest at 11. Journalists should investigate these variations, and they can utilize FOI or sunshine laws to request more detailed information.
For pedestrian fatalities by time of day and day of the week in 2022, the highest weekend percentage (28%) occurred between 9 and 11:59 p.m., while the lowest (2%) occurred between 9 and 11:59 a.m. Journalists can investigate how authorities are addressing the high percentage and learn from the measures that may have contributed to the lower percentage.
In terms of age, the data shows that the 60-64 age group is the most vulnerable, with 23% of pedestrian fatalities occurring in this group, the highest percentage among all age groups. Conversely, the 15-20 age group has the lowest percentage at 8%. Those interested in these datasets can also explore why older individuals are at greater risk compared to younger people.
These are some of the points we’re discussing in today’s post, but there are certainly more angles to explore within these datasets. We’d love to hear your thoughts on other important aspects to investigate. Please share your ideas and questions in the comments section below.
