DENVER — Tuesday is the first day of October, which also marks the beginning of National Pedestrian Safety Awareness Month.
Citing "another record-breaking" year in pedestrian fatalities, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) officials said pedestrian deaths have increased at "an alarming rate" over the past five years, with deaths increasing 161% over the last 10 years.
Denver7 spoke with Dana Waldbaum, a Denver resident who is lucky to be alive after she was hit by a driver going between 60-70 mph in 2019. Waldbaum said she was walking on the sidewalk one early morning on the way to the gym when she was struck.
"I was walking northbound. He was driving northbound, and he cut across his lane, my lane, and then came up on the sidewalk and and it was a hit-and-run," she told Denver7, recalling what she could remember from the crash. "From the moment itself, (I was) obviously (in) shock, feeling like I didn't know if I was going to survive at that moment."
Waldbaum said she suffered multiple injuries from her scalp all the way down to her feet, including multiple broken bones, internal and external damage and had to use a wheelchair for a while.
"I'm lucky I'm one of the survivors, most do not survive," she added.
Since 2018, CDOT officials said pedestrian fatalities have gone up by 77%. In 2023, 136 pedestrians were killed while walking or crossing the street.
So far in 2024, there have been 72 pedestrian deaths across Colorado, according to CDOT data, which also shows that November and December are dangerous months for pedestrians because the days get shorter and darker.
Data shows that in 2023, nearly 80% of fatalities occurred when it was dark outside.
"We're seeing a lot of pedestrians that are killed at night, when they're hard to see, and also when they're crossing mid-block, but drivers are to blame in a lot of these crashes," said Sam Cole, CDOT's Traffic Safety Manager. "Drivers are going too fast. They're on their phone, or they might be impaired, and drivers, you know, you're behind the wheel of a two ton vehicle, a pedestrian, a child, a mom just trying to get home to her kids — she has no protection, so she's really depending on you as the driver to do the right thing and use caution."
CDOT is sharing the following tips for pedestrian safety:
- Walk on sidewalks whenever possible
- Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections
- Stay off your phone while crossing the street
- Look for cars in all directions
- Avoid alcohol or drugs when walking
- Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways or backing up in parking lots
As well as the following tips for drivers:
- Look for pedestrians and bicyclists at all times, especially in areas near schools, parks, shopping and transit areas
- Put the phone down and avoid distractions
- Follow the speed limit
- Stop before a crosswalk, not on it
- Never drive impaired
- Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or entering a crosswalk
- Reduce speed at night and make sure your headlights are on
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