Georgia is a dangerous state for pedestrians.
Since 2001, the number of pedestrians killed rose each year through 2010, the Morris News Service has reported based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
In 2010, 168 people were killed while walking, up from 146 in 2001. The 2001 total accounted for 9 percent of Georgia's roadway deaths. In 2010, pedestrians made up 13.5 percent of the state's fatality total.
Things don't seem to be getting any better. In Metro Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, 82 pedestrians had been killed by mid-August, compared with 63 through the same period in 2011.
In the meantime, overall traffic deaths in Georgia are dropping, which pushes the pedestrian fatality rate higher. In 2010, Georgia's rate was ninth in the nation at 1.73 fatalities per 100,000 people, the AJC reports.
Some places have funds for improving pedestrian safety. The AJC reports that Gwinnett County still has $34 million from a 1 percent sales tax passed in 2009. But that figure doesn't keep up with the $100 million in requests for new sidewalks in the county.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more on pedestrian safety.
Are you ever a pedestrian? How safe do you feel when walking? Tell us in the comments.
