Why It Matters
Pedestrian safety remains a pressing public concern across the United States, including in Nebraska and surrounding states, where infrastructure decisions, driver behavior laws, and traffic enforcement directly affect whether people can safely walk along roads and cross streets. The new data from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests that state-level policy interventions may be beginning to produce measurable results, though fatality rates remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic baselines.
The findings carry implications for lawmakers, transportation departments, and local governments weighing investments in crosswalk technology, traffic calming measures, and pedestrian protection legislation.
What Happened
The GHSA released a report on March 25, 2026, showing that pedestrian deaths in the United States fell 11% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The association described the decline as the largest recorded drop since it began tracking pedestrian fatalities 15 years ago.
Drivers struck and killed 3,024 people in the first half of 2025, according to the report. That figure represents 371 fewer deaths than during the same six-month window the previous year. Despite the improvement, the GHSA noted that fatalities remain above 2019 levels, the last year before a sharp increase in dangerous driving behaviors linked to the pandemic period.
Fatalities increased in 24 states during the period and decreased in 23. A handful of states drove the majority of the overall national improvement, with Alabama, California, Maryland, New Mexico, and New York together accounting for more than two-thirds of the total decline.
By the Numbers
- 3,024 pedestrians were killed in the first half of 2025, down from approximately 3,395 in the same period of 2024.
- 371 fewer deaths were recorded year-over-year, representing an 11% decline — the steepest drop in 15 years of GHSA reporting.
- New Mexico saw the most dramatic state-level decline, with fatalities falling from 53 to 27 between the first halves of 2024 and 2025, a reduction of nearly 50%.
- Hawaii recorded the highest pedestrian death rate in early 2025 at 3.5 per 100,000 population, followed by Louisiana at 3.4, and Florida, South Carolina, and Arizona each at 3.0.
- Idaho and Rhode Island posted the lowest rates, both at 0.5 per 100,000, with Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin also among the safest states for pedestrians.
Zoom Out
The broader trend reflects a wave of state-level action on pedestrian safety that accelerated following a pandemic-era surge in traffic fatalities. Reckless driving, speeding, and impaired driving increased significantly between 2020 and 2022, pushing pedestrian deaths to multi-decade highs in many states.
New Mexico, which had held the highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country as recently as 2023 and saw that rate climb even further in 2024, has been piloting crosswalk technology that activates flashing warning lights when a pedestrian steps into an intersection. The near-50% drop in that state’s early 2025 figures has drawn national attention as a potential model for technology-based intervention.
Hawaii, despite recording one of the worst fatality rates in early 2025, is moving toward legislative action. A bill introduced in February would require drivers to stop and remain stopped for pedestrians in crosswalks — a stricter standard than simple yielding requirements. Written testimony submitted to a Hawaii House committee cited Oregon and Washington as examples where “explicit stop and remain stopped standards have contributed to improved pedestrian safety outcomes.”
Several Midwestern states, including those near Nebraska, recorded some of the lowest pedestrian fatality rates in the country. South Dakota’s rate of 0.6 per 100,000 and Minnesota’s matching figure suggest that lower population density and regional driving patterns may contribute to safer conditions for pedestrians in parts of the Great Plains and Upper Midwest.
What’s Next
The GHSA report is expected to inform legislative sessions and transportation budget decisions across multiple states through the remainder of 2026. Hawaii’s crosswalk stop-and-remain bill is currently moving through committee, with advocates pointing to outcomes in the Pacific Northwest as supporting evidence.
Transportation agencies in states that saw fatality increases during the same period will face renewed pressure to evaluate infrastructure gaps and enforcement strategies. The GHSA is expected to release full-year 2025 data later in 2026, which will provide a more complete picture of whether the early momentum was sustained throughout the year.