The New Mexico Department of Transportation has developed a statewide Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and welcomes public feedback.
In 2019, 6,205 pedestrians in the U.S. were killed, including 83 in New Mexico. It was the most pedestrian deaths in 30 years, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, and represented 17 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Additionally, across the U.S. 193,866 individuals were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries resulting from being struck by a vehicle, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the equivalent of more than 22 pedestrians injured by a vehicle every hour.
The draft Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is available for review online at walksafenewmexico.com. Pedestrians, drivers, transit users, and bicyclists are encouraged to provide feedback. The draft plan provides a five-year framework of actions to reduce the number of pedestrian-involved injuries and fatalities in New Mexico.
The feedback will help the department create a plan to combat New Mexico’s high pedestrian fatality rate. The public comment period ends June 13, 2021.
For information, send an email to Pedestrian Safety Action Plan manager Rosa Kozub at rosa.kozub@state.nm.us.