So what's to blame here? CNN reports researchers think it's linked to the adoption of smartphones, and the big increase in mobile data consumption, which is causing people to pay less attention to the road:
The thing that has changed dramatically in recent years is smartphone use. The volume of wireless data used from 2014 to 2015 more than doubled, according to the Wireless Association.
Drivers and pedestrians who are distracted by their smartphones are less likely to be aware of their surroundings, creating the potential for danger.
"Somebody staring at their phone for two seconds at 40 mph has covered a very long distance," Retting said. "It's not hard to imagine a pedestrian at the wrong place, wrong time, never being seen by the driver."