CLIPBOARD : Watch Your Step!
It’s getting more dangerous to walk around on Orange County streets, and it’s not necessarily because of street crime. Pedestrians make up the second largest group of traffic fatalities in the county; only vehicle (car and truck) drivers are more likely to die in a traffic accident.
In 1990, the most recent year for which information is available, 27% of the people killed were pedestrians; just four years ago that figure was 17%. The percentage has been climbing steadily since 1987. In terms of pure numbers, 51 pedestrians were killed in 1986; last year the number had risen to 74, a 45% increase.
During the five-year interim, the percentage of fatalities that are motorcycle operators has been cut in half--from 22% to 11%. The coroner’s office defines a traffic fatality as a death resulting from a vehicle accident occurring on a public thoroughfare. Here’s the trend during the past five years:
Victims 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 Vehicle driver 40% 37% 40% 39% 37% Motorcycle driver 11 10 10 16 22 Pedestrian 27 24 23 17 17 Vehicle passenger 14 22 17 21 13 Bicyclist 5 4 6 4 5 Other * 3 3 4 3 6
* Includes motorcycle passengers and motor scooter/moped drivers
Source: Orange County coroner’s office
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