More than 7,500 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. last year, a 40-year high

A new report is renewing calls to transform transportation systems in a way to keep all users safe. The findings were issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

While the issue has caught the attention of law enforcement and policymakers, the report said the upward trend is still a major issue with pedestrian fatalities increasing by nearly 80% since 2010.

Beth Osborne, vice president of transportation and thriving communities for the group Smart Growth America, said the U.S. still has not fully realized the lingering effects of the interstate highway model.”And we have taken this very high-speed traffic and put it through places where a driver would need a lot more time to avoid conflict,” Osborne stressed.

With the growing size of trucks and sport utility vehicles, groups like Osborne’s have been pressuring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to do more to prioritize pedestrian safety as it updates vehicle safety ratings.

In Minnesota, the Legislature recently approved a transportation bill with a number of related provisions, including requiring schools to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Osborne credits Washington state for adopting a law that keeps safety and accessibility in mind for certain road projects.

“They must design any project that costs more than $500,000 as a complete street, a roadway built and designed and maintained and operated for all users of the system,” Osborne explained.

But she cautioned such examples are few and far between. At the local level, she urged municipalities to incorporate any safety upgrades under their authority and to push policymakers at the state and federal levels to consider changes for roads under their jurisdictions.

Minnesota saw 45 pedestrian deaths last year, down from 56 the year before.

Mike Moen writes Minnesota News Connection.