The epidemiology of pedestrian fatalities and substance use in Georgia, United States, 2007–2016

Though U.S. motor vehicle crashes as a whole have decreased over the past few years, fatalities among vulnerable road users have increased. Pedestrian deaths rose nationally by 27% between 2007 and 2016 accounting for 16% of all motor vehicle fatalities. This increase continues to burden transportation specialists, public health professionals, and community stakeholders. Potential risk factors include characteristics of the built environment, distractions, and pedestrians’ use of alcohol and drugs. Pedestrian deaths in Georgia, United States, increased 40% between 2014 and 2016 while drug overdose deaths have increased by 18% during the same period. Concurrent increases in mortality due to pedestrian fatalities and drug overdoses make Georgia a natural environment in which to describe the proximity of drugs among pedestrian fatalities, a topic largely overlooked by the literature. This study explores the epidemiology of pedestrian fatalities in Georgia over a 10-year period with an emphasis on reported substance use among cases. The study employed 10-year data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Descriptive methods were used to explore drug screens by person, place, and time. We also examined trends in total drug screens over the examination period. Between 2007 and 2016, 1781 pedestrian crashes were reported to FARS; the fatality rate for this period was 94.5%. Of these, most were male with Blacks and Whites equally represented. Ages 15–64 accounted for 81.1% of cases with most occurring in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. When adjusted for population, one finds higher rates in more rural areas of the state. Data revealed that testing for the presence of drugs occurred among half of reported cases. Of those testing positive, five drug categories emerged; stimulants (45.8%), cannabinoids (21.5%), narcotics (including opioids) (14.1%), depressants (12.1%), and “Other Drugs” (6.3%). Positive drug screens across all drug classifications increased by 178.1% between 2007 and 2016. These findings suggest the need for state-wide policies designed to promote more consistent screening among pedestrians involved in motor vehicle crashes as well as diligence in understanding the role played by drugs among this population. Additional investigation should be conducted to tease out the presence of category-specific drugs among pedestrians. Understanding the epidemiology of pedestrian fatalities in the state, especially in relation to substance use, serves as a first step toward implementing localized preventive efforts.