Five people have been hit and killed by cars in less than a month while walking or riding their bike in Stockton.
The latest victim was a 23-year-old woman who died Saturday while riding her bicycle on Tam O’Shanter Drive and Hammertown Drive. However, Stockton Police officials say there's no correlation between the five incidents.
On Sunday, a 49-year-old woman died after being hit by a self-driving Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona. She's believed to be the first pedestrian in the U.S. killed by a self-driving car.
Unfortunately, the recent deaths are an addition to an increasing number of people in the country who are killed by cars each year.
Here are 7 things you should know about pedestrian traffic deaths in the U.S.:
1. Nearly 6,000 people were hit and killed by vehicles in 2017, according to preliminary data from the Governor's Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
The number is basically unchanged from 2016. It has been 20 years since the nation has experienced this level of people getting hit and killed by cars and death toll is considered alarming by GHSA officials.
2. The number of pedestrian deaths are growing much faster than other other traffic-related deaths, according to the GHSA. The number of people killed by cars increased by nearly 30 percent from 2007 to 2016 while all other traffic deaths decreased by about 15 percent.
3. Five states-- Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York and California accounted for more than 40 percent of pedestrian traffic deaths in 2017 even though the five states only represent about 30 percent of the population.
4. California made the top ten list of highest pedestrian death rates per 100,000 population in 2016 at 2.43, but New Mexico topped the list with a rate of 3.45, according to the GHSA.
5. In 2016, about one-third of the pedestrian traffic deaths in the the country happened on a city street.
6. Alcohol was reportedly a factor in nearly half of all pedestrian deaths in 2016. Interestingly, more than 30 percent of these incidents involved a person who was walking on a street while under the influence while less than 15 percent of drivers involved in the crashes were reported to be under the influence, according to the GHSA.
7. Traffic safety officials attribute the number of people killed by cars to economic conditions, demographics, weather, fuel prices, the amount of motor vehicle travel and the amount of time people spend walking. However, the GHSA report states that states where recreational marijuana is legal may be seeing an increase in pedestrian traffic deaths. Although the GHSA doesn't claim a direct correlation or link, it is mentioned as a contributing factor.
Smart phones are also noted as a source of distraction to people walking on streets and are likely adding to the issue.
