According to the Georgia Department of Highway Safety, the number of pedestrians who died on Chattooga County’s roadways in 2022 was double the previous two years.  Over the past five years there have been nine pedestrian fatalities in Chattooga County – four of those happened in 2022.

The numbers show one pedestrian death in 2017, two each in 2020 and 2021, with no pedestrian deaths in 2018 or 2019.  Then, last year four pedestrians were killed.  All of the pedestrian deaths last year happened on or near Highway 27 between Summerville and Trion.

Another common factor in the pedestrian deaths in 2022 is that they all took place between 8 PM and 8 AM.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 75% of pedestrian deaths in the United States occur under dark conditions.

Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader says one important factor in the pedestrian deaths in Chattooga County this past year has been that the pedestrians were not using designated crosswalks on Highway 27.  Sheriff Schrader told WZQZ News, “Educating pedestrians on using crosswalks is one factor that could reduce the number of fatalities.  In two of the fatalities, pedestrians were less than 100 feet away from designated crosswalks as they attempted to cross Highway 27”.