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Pedestrian deaths from vehicles have surged 70%, according to a story from The Washington Post.

Factors include larger vehicles, smartphone distractions and poorly designed streets.

Utah saw fluctuating pedestrian deaths with a 25% decrease in 2023 from 2022.

SALT LAKE CITY — Pedestrian deaths caused by vehicles are hitting record levels.

There was a slight decrease from the end of the 1970s to 2009, but since then, the number has just kept climbing, with pedestrian fatalities accounting for nearly 17% of total traffic deaths from 2017 to 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A recent in-depth story by The Washington Post determined that deaths caused by being struck by a vehicle on the road increased by

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