ATLANTA — A new report shows an alarming trend as it relates to pedestrians. More people are dying – walking. It's happening in Atlanta and across the country.
The report from "Smart Growth America" now ranks Georgia in the top 10 deadliest states for walkers. The new data shows nearly 8,000 people were killed walking last year. That's the highest number of pedestrian deaths in the country in 40 years.
In Atlanta, an 11Alive investigation found 88 percent of pedestrian deaths are happening on just 8 percent of the city's roads.
These are the top three streets for pedestrian deaths in Atlanta:
- Moreland Avenue
- MLK Jr. Drive
- Cascade Road
Experts told 11Alive that the key to keeping people safe is to slow drivers down.
"We have a very small handful of streets that if we were to make the necessary improvements, if we were to redesign them. So they're calmer streets that serve a wider variety of transportation needs that fewer people would die," Executive Director of Propel Atlanta Rebecca Serna said.
The report said the pandemic made the issue worse -- and it won't get better until roads keep cars from going at high speeds.
Atlanta spent the last year replacing nearly 1,000 speed limit signs to 25 mph. However, the report said that's not enough, stating roads need to be re-worked to enforce those slower speeds.