Pedestrian deaths rose in 2020 despite Americans driving fewer miles 'We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to these unacceptable numbers' By Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press Published: May 22, 2021, 6:04pm Share: DETROIT — Pedestrian deaths in the United States have been a problem for years, but in 2020, the rate of deaths hit a disturbing milestone even accounting for the impacts of the coronavirus. New data released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association for the full year show “the largest-ever annual increase in the pedestrian death rate” since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration established its Fatality Analysis Reporting System in 1975, according to the association.