2017 was a bad year for pedestrians. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association believes that the numbers for last year will hit a 33-year high. It will be the second consecutive year where there have been at least 6,000 pedestrian traffic deaths. Arizona has the highest number of pedestrian traffic fatalities and Honolulu, Hawaii where people have been ticketed for using their phones while crossing at crosswalks has the lowest.
It looks like Georgia has already had at least one pedestrian fatality in 2018 as Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
Last Tuesday, all eastbound lanes of Highway 78 were closed as an investigation into the death of a pedestrian on the roadway was underway. Traffic backed up to the North Druid Hills exit and traffic on I-285 was prevented from heading east on Highway 78.
Authorities say that an unidentified black male was struck just outside the Perimeter on Highway 78 just before 6 a.m.
Although there were a number of vehicles at the scene, including a motorcycle that was allowed to leave. Other vehicles included semi-trucks and a tow truck that was handling USPS vehicles.
Dekalb County Police are handling the investigation. At this point, they are not sure why the man was traveling on foot down the eastbound side of Highway 78. The highway is a limited access road. It was not immediately clear if the victim was involved in a hit and run or if the motorist remained on the scene.
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