CHARLOTTE, NC : Bad drivers and distracted walkers behind deadly spike in Charlotte on April, wednesday 19th 2017

Pedestrian deaths by vehicles grew at a higher rate last year than at any other time in the past 40 years, a new study found, and Charlotte and the Carolinas also saw significant increases.

The study by the Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that the number of pedestrians killed last year increased by 11 percent over 2015. There were 621 more deaths estimated for 2016, for a total of 5,997, than the prior year.

“This is the second year in a row that we have seen unprecedented increases in pedestrian fatalities, which is both sad and alarming,” study author Richard Retting said in a statement. The association based its estimates on data from the first half of 2016.

The Carolinas were among 34 states that saw an increase in fatalities in the first six months of last year.5,997 - Estimated pedestrian fatalities in U.S., 2016
5,376 - Pedestrian fatalities in U.S., 2015
4,910 - Pedestrian fatalities in U.S., 2014
North Carolina’s estimated 96 pedestrian deaths during that time was a nearly 25 percent increase compared to the first half of 2015, according to the report. South Carolina had a 16 percent increase, with 66 deaths, it said.

Source :
Bad drivers and distracted walkers behind deadly spike in Charlotte