After a nine-year low in 2020, vehicle-versus-pedestrian crashes have had a significant rise in the years since — from 743 recorded statewide in 2020 to 1,054 recorded in 2024. In December, Ogden City issued a press release noting the local impacts of this trend. Of the crashes, 302 were fatal.

With greater walkability becoming a goal for towns and cities alike and the roads becoming more and more crowded, local and state officials are taking actions to hopefully bring the numbers down and make being a pedestrian a safer prospect.

Rising numbers

Lt. Glen Buss of the Ogden City Police Department’s Community Engagement Bureau told the Standard-Examiner that the city had 81 total vehicle-versus-pedestrian crashes in 2024, with five of them being fatal.

“They are spread out throughout the city and a lot of them have their own circumstances,” he said. “Driver-error accounts for a significant portion of these crashes. 61% of those crashes, the driver was at fault, so we want to remind drivers and we want to ensure that drivers are watching out for pedestrians and that they’re stopping before crosswalks and looking both ways.”

Jason Mettmann, communications manager with the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Highway Safety Office, told the Standard-Examiner vehicle-versus-pedestrian incidents are preventable.

“At our office, we don’t call them accidents, we call them crashes” he said. “We feel like there aren’t accidents on the roadway, we feel like all of these are preventable.”

He said the lower numbers recorded in 2020 were partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as it eased, numbers for all manner of bad driving behaviors rose.

“Impaired driving, speed and aggressive driving shot up during the time of the pandemic,” he said. “Every state in the nation saw that.”

By comparison, Utah recorded 899 vehicle-versus-pedestrian crashes in 2019, with 45 total fatalities.

Mettmann added that one of the most sobering details is who’s most commonly involved in these crashes.

“The pedestrians — the largest age group involved is 13-20,” he said. “It’s our teen pedestrians that are out there using the road that are most commonly involved. As far as drivers that are involved, it’s our young drivers as well.”

Stemming the tide

In January, a post on the Ogden Police Department Facebook page made an announcement that the department’s Community Engagement Bureau would be conducting a “crosswalk safety project” on Jan. 7, focusing on four different intersections — two of which were adjacent to schools — around town.

“We have seen an uptick in auto-pedestrian accidents in the last year and are committed to addressing the issue,” the post said. “We are asking the members of our community to help in addressing the problem by maintaining awareness, avoiding distractions, and following the traffic laws while walking, riding, and driving around the city.”

Buss said the Jan. 7 event was busy for the officers involved.

“During that five-hour time, we actually contacted 103 different motorists who failed to yield to the pedestrians,” he said. “During that time, each driver was provided with information about the importance of pedestrian safety. We did issue 32 citations, but the big focus was education, so 71 written warnings were issued.

He said there are plans to hold similar enforcement events throughout the year.

“We are not trying to hide; we will put them out on social media and people will know exactly where we’re going to be,” he said. “We just want to remind drivers they have a responsibility any time they’re in the car — not just pedestrian and crosswalk related, but everything they’re doing in the car should be focused on driving safely.”

Buss said in addition to these enforcement efforts, the department will also continue posting educational items, news articles and other notices to raise awareness about traffic safety centered around pedestrians on social media.

Mettmann said the state is also looking to spread education on the matter.

“Here at the Highway Safety Office, we are the funnel for federal funding from NHTSA — the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” he said. “We take safety programs and bring them to communities in Utah.”

He said this has included bringing pedestrian safety education events to Ogden.

“Ogden City Police does have a grant with the Utah Highway Safety Office that is directed just at pedestrian and bicycle safety,” he said. “In fact, in 2024, Ogden PD held a series of safety events to educate children and parents on helmet safety, traffic signals and overall road safety awareness.”

Mettmann said the state helps support similar programs throughout the state.

In the December press release, city officials noted they are looking to do their part as they update infrastructure.

“Across the city, we’ve completed multiple projects designed with safety at the forefront,” Ogden Director of Public Services Justin Anderson said. “The 20th Street reconstruction was our largest project this year, addressing one of the most heavily used and deteriorated roads in Ogden.”

Working toward change

Buss said there is some good news locally early in 2025.

“Last year was an anomaly. We were much higher than we’ve been previously,” he said. “Already this year, our numbers are not as high as they were for January of last year. I anticipate it getting better this year.”

Mettmann said it’s imperative to learn good pedestrian safety habits at a young age.

“Parents, please, talk with your teens about properly using the road, using the crosswalk, like we learned in kindergarten. Look both ways before crossing the street,” he said.

Buss said that pedestrian safety is ultimately a community effort.

“We all have a part to play as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, people on scooters or runners to make sure that we are following the laws that are in place to make sure everyone is safe,” he said.