A sobering trend emerges on the state’s roadways: pedestrian deaths are on the rise, even as the rest of the country experiences a welcome decline.
Preliminary figures show that 2024 marked another deadly year for those traveling on foot in the Bay State, with fatalities surpassing the previous year’s toll and continuing a worrisome upward path into 2025.
According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, 78 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic crashes last year—a 16% increase from the 67 recorded in 2023. This comes after a peak of 98 deaths in 2022, the highest in the past decade. The numbers paint a stark picture: compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic figure of 77 fatalities, the state has seen only marginal improvement, with incidents stubbornly elevated…