Pedestrian Fatalities on Interstate Highways, United States, 1993-2012
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Summary
This report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety addresses the under-researched issue of pedestrian fatalities on the United States Interstate Highway System. While Interstates account for approximately 10% of all annual pedestrian deaths in the U.S., standard traffic safety countermeasures are largely inapplicable due to the high-speed, closed nature of these roadways. The study aims to quantify and describe these fatalities from 1993 to 2012 at both national and state levels, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of pedestrians—both intentional entrants and "unintended" pedestrians such as disabled vehicle occupants—to high-speed traffic. The analysis utilized data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 1993–2012. Researchers identified fatally injured pedestrians by specific coding and excluded bicyclists and other cyclists. Interstate status was determined using NHTSA’s Roadway Function Class Convention. The study tabulated fatalities by year and state, calculating rates per Interstate fatal crash and per billion vehicle-miles of travel (VMT). Additionally, the report examined crash characteristics, including time of day, weather, and land use, as well as driver and pedestrian demographics, alcohol involvement, and prior driving records. Over the 20-year period, an average of 515 pedestrians were killed on Interstates annually, totaling 10,301 fatalities. While total traffic fatalities generally decreased, Interstate pedestrian fatalities showed fluctuating trends, with a notable decrease from 478 in 2011 to 450 in 2012. The rate of pedestrian fatalities per 10 billion VMT decreased almost every year, dropping from 10.9 in 1993 to 6.2 in 2012. State-level data revealed significant variation; Missouri and Wyoming had the highest proportions of pedestrian fatalities occurring on Interstates, while New Mexico and Texas had the highest rates per Interstate VMT. Most crashes occurred between 6:00 PM and 5:59 AM (74.4%), in dark conditions without lighting (46.3%), and in urban areas (66.6%). The majority of striking vehicles were cars or light trucks traveling straight. Drivers involved in these crashes were less likely to have prior crash or violation records compared to drivers in all fatal crashes, though 17.5% had a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Pedestrians were predominantly male (80.2%) and aged 20–39 (47.6%), with over one-third legally intoxicated at the time of the crash. The findings underscore the persistent danger of pedestrian presence on Interstates, noting that standard safety measures are impractical. The report highlights the need for better understanding of pedestrian exposure and the effectiveness of limited countermeasures, such as "move over" laws. It concludes with recommendations for educating drivers, emergency responders, and maintenance workers about the risks of working on active Interstates and advises drivers with vehicle issues to exit the roadway or remain in their vehicles to avoid becoming unintended pedestrians.
Key finding
From 1993-2012, an average of 515 pedestrians were killed annually on U.S. Interstates (10,301 total), accounting for about 10.5% of all pedestrian fatalities, with most deaths occurring at night on the roadway and substantial alcohol impairment among both pedestrians (37.2% BAC≥0.08 g/dL) and striking drivers (13.8% legally impaired).
Methodology
modeling
Sample size: N=10,301 pedestrian Interstate fatalities (FARS, 1993-2012)
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | aaa_foundation | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
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| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
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| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes