‘Most of these deaths are preventable’
7 people killed in 8 days in one of Conn.’s deadliest years for pedestrians, officials say
an eight-day span this month, seven people were struck and killed by cars in Connecticut in what has become one of the state’s most deadliest years for pedestrians in more than a decade, officials and advocates say.
Two pedestrians killed Wednesday morning in Hartford, a 55-year-old Branford woman who died the week before and a 39year-old Avon man who police believe was out for his regular early-morning walk Nov. 14 became the most recent Connecticut fatalities. There now have been 11 pedestrian deaths in November and 60 so far in 2022, according to data compiled by police, the state Department of Transportation and Watch For Me CT, an advocacy group formed with state funding to generate safety awareness for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Amy Watkins, who is with the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Injury Prevention Center that oversees Watch For Me CT, said it’s not unusual to see an “uptick” in these inDuring cidents around the end of daylight saving time in November.
However, she said Connecticut usually sees between 40 and 50 pedestrian deaths in a typical year. In 2020, Connecticut had 61 pedestrian deaths — more than any year in a decade, Watkins said.
By 2021, the number of pedestrian deaths dropped to 56, according to DOT data. As of Wednesday, the state had already seen 60 pedestrian deaths with
another month to go during a period when more fatalities typically occur as the days get shorter, Watkins said.
“Things are not looking great for pedestrians,” Watkins said this month. “Since Oct. 4, we’ve had 13 pedestrians killed, five of those were on the highway.” That number has since increased to 17 with the deaths of the pedestrians in Hartford, Branford and Avon.
The months of October, November, December and January traditionally see the most fatalities, said Eric Jackson, executive director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute and director of the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center at the University of Connecticut, School of Engineering.
It’s not clear what’s causing the increase in deaths during those months, but shorter days and the Daylight Saving Time change are likely factors, he said.
“Drivers can be more tired when they are driving home from work and it’s harder to see pedestrians in the dark,” Jackson said. In addition, more people are attending holiday parties that likely include drinking, which leads to impaired drivers and pedestrians, he said.
“It’s really a twopronged issue,” Jackson said. “Pedestrians need to be not impaired, wear bright clothing, walk where pedestrian facilities exist and watch for vehicles.
Drivers shouldn’t drive impaired and shouldn’t drive distracted, they should also slow down and watch for pedestrians. Most of these deaths are preventable, but it’s difficult.”
The hours of 6 to 9 p.m. are the deadliest, followed by 9 p.m. to midnight, DOT data shows. More men than women are likely to be hit and killed and pedestrians over the age of 55 are more likely to die, Watkins said.
Part of the increase this year can be attributed to a recent sudden rise in the number of people killed while they were outside their disabled vehicles on state highways, according to figures provided by the DOT. Since the start of the year, there have been six incidents that killed eight people, state police records show. Five of those deaths have occurred since Sept. 16 when a woman and her 17-year-old son were killed while dealing with a flat tire on Interstate 395 in Montville, state police reports said.
Another factor to the rise in pedestrian deaths may be the increase in large sport utility vehicles on the road, Jackson said, citing research recently released by the national Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. SUVs do more physical damage to a person’s body when they are hit, Jackson pointed out.
But the main problem appears to be that people need to have a greater awareness about days being shorter and it may be more difficult to see pedestrians, particularly if drivers are distracted, DOT spokesperson Shannon King said.
“Historically, we see an increase in fatalities when the days get shorter,” King said. “It’s critical that drivers and pedestrians stay alert and reduce distractions. Drivers should move over if they see a pedestrian in the road and never drive impaired, whether it’s drinking or some other reason that would make you unable to drive.”
The DOT provided funding to the Connecticut Transportation Institute to study the timing of pedestrian “walk” and “don’t walk” signals to determine if changing the interval or positioning would help prevent impatient people from stepping into the roadway before traffic has cleared. The DOT also recently partnered with the city of New Haven to install raised crosswalks, which force drivers to slow down and make pedestrians more visible, King said.
“We’re upgrading sidewalks and working with cities and towns so that pedestrians can get around their downtown areas more safely,” King said.
The DOT sought funding in 2017 to create Watch For Me CT, which provides programming and public service announcements making drivers aware of pedestrians and bicyclists after a “particularly” bad year in 2016 when 59 people died, Watkins said.
To keep track of the deaths, Watkins starts each day combing media outlets to see if any fatal pedestrian accidents have occurred. She then places the information on a spreadsheet to keep track as the group provides programming to schools and civic groups on how to remain safe while walking or riding a bicycle.
“We try to engage people to raise awareness,” Watkins said. “We also try to teach people how they can be safer.”
But changing driver and pedestrian behavior remains a challenge, Watkins and others conceded.
Avon police participated in a public awareness meeting on pedestrian safety just a few weeks before the 39-year-old man was struck and killed, Lt. John Schmalberger said. He couldn’t recall in the 16 years he’s worked for the department another pedestrian fatality aside from an incident that occurred in a driveway a few years ago, he said.
So far speed or recklessness doesn’t appear to be a factor in the 39-year-old’s death, he said. Early indications are that the man was out for a morning walk around 6 a.m. when he attempted to cross East Main Street and was struck, he said. The man later died at the hospital, he said.
Schmalberger said he tells his family members that they need to have “situational awareness” when they are out running, walking or biking. People should know where they are and what they are doing — which means not looking down at a cellphone while walking, he said.
“You are your best safety person,” Schmalberger said. “You can’t rely on the fact that you have the right of way when you’re out walking or crossing the street. That’s a contest you aren’t going to win.”