Wherever you are, and no matter what time of day it is, if you look around, it’s likely you will see someone out for a walk.

Take a trip through any neighborhood, and it’s a sure bet you will come across someone who’s enjoying being outside.

Some people like to walk in the evening, some in the morning and some hearty souls like to be out in the heat of the day.

It’s a great way to get some exercise and to interact with your friends and neighbors, things that we all too often forget should be important parts of our lives.

But while it’s hard to underestimate the benefits of going for a stroll each day, there’s a sad reality that goes along with it: More than 16 people who are walking die each day on U.S. roads. That’s according to preliminary numbers compiled by the Governors Highway Safety Association for the first six months of 2025.

“Each pedestrian death is so much more than just a number,” said Jonathan Adkins, chief executive officer of the GHSA, which represents the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. “Each one is a family member, friend or neighbor that no one will be able to hug, see or share time with ever again. While we are pleased with the progress shown in the data, the only acceptable number of traffic deaths is zero.”

Adkins is right — while drivers struck and killed 3,024 people who were walking during the first half of 2025, that number was an 11 percent decline from the same period in 2024. That works out to 371 fewer pedestrian deaths.

That’s good news for those who walk — but that number is still 2.5 percent higher than the pre-pandemic 2,951 deaths recorded between January and June 2019.

When you look at our Tri-State Area, you find some interesting numbers. Ohio’s pedestrian fatalities went up to 66 from the 60 recorded during the same period in 2024. That’s a 10 percent increase, but it’s still lower than the 76 recorded in 2021, which represents the highest number recorded since 2019.

Pedestrian fatalities in Pennsylvania fell by 18, from 81 in 2024 to 63 in 2025. That’s a 22.2 percent decrease, and lower than the 85 deaths recorded in 2022.

And, in West Virginia, there were nine pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2025, an increase of one from the eight recorded in 2024, but still lower than the 15 recorded during that same period in 2021,

According to raw numbers, Florida recorded the most pedestrian fatalities last year, with 335. That was followed by California with 335 and Texas with 329. While those numbers are high, Florida saw four fewer deaths from January to June (a drop of 1.1 percent), and Texas saw 113 fewer deaths (a drop of 3.8 percent.)

California, meanwhile, saw one of the biggest drops in the country, recording 154 fewer deaths, a decrease of 31.5 percent.

Utah had one of the biggest increases, jumping by 53.8 percent. That’s a number that can be a little misleading — the state saw 20 pedestrian deaths last year, up from the 13 recorded in 2024.

In Michigan, the 92 pedestrian deaths last year were up by 19 from the 73 recorded in 2024, an increase of 26 percent. And in Missouri, the 64 pedestrian deaths seen last year were up by 12 from the 52 in 2024, an increase of 23.1 percent.

Because of the wide variation in population totals among the states, the GHSA uses the the number of fatalities per 100,000 of state population. That number for the first six months of 2025 works out to 0.9 fatalities per 100,000 population across the United States. That’s lower than the 1.01 seen in 2024.

Looking at the Tri-State Area based on those calculations, Ohio’s rate is 0.56 fatalities per 100,000 residents. West Virginia checks in at 0.51, while Pennsylvania stands at 0.48.

Another way to break the overall numbers down is to see the number of deaths recorded for every billion vehicle miles traveled. The Federal Highway Administration estimates there were 1,622.9 billion vehicle miles driven during the first half of 2025, which is a 1.1 percent increase from 2024. That makes the overall number 1.86 fatalities per billion vehicle miles traveled during the first half of 2025, down from the 2.11 seen in 2024 and about even with the 1.85 seen in 2019.

Those numbers from our region saw West Virginia come in at 1.16, Ohio at 1.2 and Pennsylvania at 1.3.

Adkins made reference to the incalculable cost of a traffic fatality. There is, however, a financial number attached –and in the first half of 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the financial cost per every pedestrian fatality is $13,234, 777 — $29,010 for medical expenses; $1,154,790 for wages and fringe benefits; $419,378 for household work; $11,405405,112 for quality of life considerations; $173,752 for legal expenses; and $52,734 for insurance administration.

Add those numbers up and multiple them by the 3,024 deaths recorded in 2025, and you get a cost of $40,021,965,648.

So, how can those numbers be lowered? The GHSA says there are three key factors: Reducing the exposure pedestrians have to crashes, reducing the likelihood of crashes and reducing the severity of crashes.

That means planners will have to study safer ways to determine crossing areas and continue to do things to reduce the speed of vehicles when they are around pedestrians. Vehicle manufacturers need to continue working on technology and focus on designs that can minimize bodily harm. And EMS training, equipment and technology need to be improved.

As always, all of those numbers give us a lot of things to think about — whether we’re taking an evening stroll, walking the dog or getting behind the wheel of our vehicle.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is senior reporter for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)