May 30--Look where you're going.
That's the message officials are sending after an uptick in pedestrian fatalities across the state.
Last year, 146 crashes resulted in 150 fatalities on roads across the state, up 18 percent from 2014 when there were 127 deaths, according to preliminary numbers from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Of those 150 pedestrians killed, nearly a third of the deaths -- or 46 -- occurred in Chicago, which also saw a 31 percent hike over 2014.
The latest pedestrian death in Chicago was 7-year-old Samyra Lee, who was fatally struck by a tractor pulling mowing equipment as she crossed a West Englewood street on Friday. The number of pedestrian fatalities so far this year was not immediately available.
The rise in Illinois corresponds with what's happening nationally. Across the United States, 2,368 pedestrians were killed in the first six months of 2015, compared with 2,232 during the same period in 2014.
Some point the finger at distracted drivers and pedestrians.
"These numbers underscore that everyone using the public right of way should be fully focused on their surroundings, whether they are in a motor vehicle, a bicycle or on foot," said Michael Claffey, a spokesman with the city's Department of Transportation. Chicago has participated in a program with other cities to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths.
"And motorists have a special responsibility to follow the traffic laws and to avoid distracted and aggressive driving, both of which put peoples' lives at risk and are often tied to avoidable traffic tragedies," he said.
The Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit made up of state highway safety offices, also indicated that distracted pedestrians and drivers may be partially responsible for an increase in pedestrian deaths between 2009 and 2013 after decades of a steady decline.
Some communities have joined forces to step up safety enforcement for unsafe driving as well as distracted motorists. Recently Naperville joined several other suburbs along the Route 59 corridor, including Aurora and Plainfield, as part of a joint enforcement campaign that gave out 32 citations for cellphone violations in a single day.
Local officials are calling on travelers, whether walking or driving, to use "common sense."
"Even one fatality, regardless of mode, is cause for concern," IDOT Secretary Randall Blankenhorn said in a statement. "We urge pedestrians to use caution and common sense when crossing the street -- use crosswalks where available and make sure to pay attention to your surroundings. We urge motorists to be cautious as well -- be alert for pedestrians, especially when approaching intersections."
Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz also stressed vigilance for motorists whose vehicles stall on roadways, adding that many are struck while waiting for assistance. Motorists with stalled vehicles should dial 911 and stay inside their vehicle instead of waiting for help outside, he said. "Because when they get out (of their vehicles), that's where those things happen," Schmitz said during a recent news conference.
"If I'm driving myself, I see them (stranded by the road), I pull right over (and ask) 'You all right?'...I don't want to see them hit."
Chicago Tribune's Grace Wong contributed.
wlee@tribpub.com
