October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. Pedestrian deaths in Georgia are up 46% over the past ten years.  That’s according to the latest numbers released by the federal government.  Alex Cabral of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says an estimated 75-hundred people got struck and killed by cars in the United States in 2021, the most pedestrian deaths in the nation in more than 40 years.

Here in Chattooga County, there has been a rash of pedestrian deaths this year.  Four people have lost their lives in pedestrian accidents since January.  Local officials have mixed answers when asked about the number of pedestrian deaths.  Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader told WZQZ News that all of the people who have lost their lives this year were not using designated crosswalks.  Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry is looking into putting a sidewalk that would connect Summerville and Walmart near Trion as a solution.

State officials are urging drivers to slow down and watch for pedestrians in and out of crosswalks.  Experts say the state is very car-centered and not friendly to those who choose to walk instead.

Safety officials, like Allen Poole of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, also warn that as the days get shorter into fall and winter, it’s even more important that drivers and walkers watch out for each other, especially in more rural areas of Georgia where there may not be sidewalks.

GNN / WZQZ