WASHINGTON -- The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible. Governors Highway Safety Administration spokesman Jonathan Adkins told 630 WMAL that Michelle Obama is "trying to get us to walk to work and exercise a little bit more. While that's good, it also increases our exposure to risk."
After four straight years of steady declines, pedestrian deaths were up during the first six months of 2010, the latest figures available to be studied.
Other factors include distracted drivers, distracted pedestrians and what Adkins calls "aggressive pedestrians."
"People who are not crossing where they are supposed to. They're running in front of cars. We've even had examples of pedestrians getting out on the interstate," said Adkins.
Alcohol is also factor in increased pedestrian deaths.
"We've done a good job of getting people, after a night out of partying, to leave their keys behind. But just because you are walking does not mean you are not at risk," said Adkins.
Pedestrians are also increasingly distracted by iPods and smart phones. It is not uncommon to see people crossing streets while fiddling with an electronic device and not watching where they are walking. Hospital emergency rooms have reported an upsurge of people injured in a fall because they were distracted by electronics.
Significant increases in pedestrian deaths occurred in Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and North Carolina. In the DC Metro area, pedestrian deaths were down in Maryland but up in DC and Virginia.
