About 3,000 pedestrians are hit by cars each year in Maryland, about the same number as in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
According to a report released Wednesday by the Inova Regional Trauma Center, 92 percent of the people hit sustained one or more injuries.
Experts say pedestrians walking in “sprawling suburbs” have more of a chance of being killed by moving cars than pedestrians in cities.
“It?s much more dangerous to live in the suburbs ? there are fewer pedestrians out there, people drive faster and the roadways are wider,” said George Branyan, pedestrian program coordinator for the District Department of Transportation.
In Maryland, 17 percent of the total traffic fatalities are pedestrian deaths, and the state ranks 13th in the nation for most pedestrian fatalities, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
According to the State Highway Administration, there were 95 pedestrian-related fatalities in the state in 2004.
A big chunk of pedestrians who are killed or injured are children 15 or younger and adults 65 or older, said Lora Rakowski, safety and marketing manager for the State Highway Administration. Rakowski said the 2004 numbers are the lowest they have been in five years.
“We are on our way, but we still have more work to do,” she said.
Experts agree education and road engineering are the best ways to curb pedestrian accidents.
Parents should stress to children that it?s not safe to cross the street unless it?s at a crosswalk.
But road engineering that slows traffic is also important.
“We have to be more aggressive with traffic calming measures,” Branyan said.
Small changes like reducing the number of lanes on a road or creating refuge islands for pedestrians go a long way, Branyan said.
The State Highway Administration has two main engineering initiatives, including installing countdown signals at “pedestrian sensitive areas.” It is also testing a crosswalk in Prince George?s County that lights up when a pedestrian is in it.
