Drive Safe Hampton Roads Counts 19 Pedestrian Deaths This Year

Drive Safe Hampton Roads is urging drivers and pedestrians to watch for each other during Pedestrian Safety Month, citing 19 pedestrian deaths recorded across the region so far this year and another 321 injuries. The nonprofit's figures show 76% of pedestrian traffic fatalities in 2024 occurred in darkness. Mary Ann Rayment, who works with Drive Safe Hampton Roads, said the injury total deserves the same attention as the death toll.

"Injuries generally are higher than the fatalities are, and those can be the lifelong damages too," Rayment said.

Pedestrian deaths have climbed nationally over the last decade, though Rayment said the trend has turned slightly downward this year. She credits awareness campaigns and engineering changes for the shift. "There are flashing lights, there are raised crosswalks, things like that have also really helped to reduce the the number of serious injuries and fatalities," she said. Crash data points the other way on vehicle type: light trucks and SUVs make up a growing share of traffic, and studies have shown those vehicles are more likely to kill pedestrians when they strike them.

Rayment said both sides of the street carry duties. Pedestrians should use crosswalks, watch where they step, and wear bright clothing after dark. Drivers should stay sober, stop for people in crosswalks, and halt in other lanes when a car ahead stops, since a pedestrian may be crossing out of view. Fatalities have risen nationally in the last decade, though Rayment noted a slight downward trend this year.

With school underway and Halloween approaching, Rayment said drivers need to slow down in neighborhoods. "There's a lot of kids in the crosswalks, and we're getting ready to have trick or treating with Halloween. So you're going to see a lot more small pedestrians out there, and they're not always as good at judgment as we are," she said. "They're little and they're younger, so we need to make sure that we are following speed limits and that we are really aware, particularly in neighborhoods, of where there might be children around." Drive Safe Hampton Roads continues its Pedestrian Safety Month campaign through October.