4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017 Distraction cited as pedestrian Gov. Brown sacks three on deaths spike 11 percent in 2016 DEQ oversight commission By JOAN LOWY Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pedes- trian deaths are climbing faster than motorist fatalities, reach- ing nearly 6,000 deaths last year — the highest total in more than two decades, according to an analysis of preliminary state data released Thursday. Increased driving due to an improved economy, lower gas prices and more walking for exercise and environmental factors are some of the likely reasons behind the estimated 11 percent spike in pedestrian fatalities in 2016. The figures were prepared for the Gover- nors Highway Safety Associ- ation, which represents state highway safety offices. But researchers say they think the biggest factor may be more drivers and walkers dis- tracted by cellphones and other electronic devices, although that’s hard to confirm. Walking and miles driven are up only a few percent- age points, and are unlikely to account for most of the surge in pedestrian deaths, said Richard Retting, safety director for Sam Schwartz Transportation Con- sultants and the author of the report. Meanwhile, texting and use of wireless devices have exploded, he said. “It’s the only factor that seems to indicate a dramatic change in how people behave,” Retting said. The report is based on data from all states and the District of Columbia for the first six months of 2016 and extrapo- lated for the rest of the year. It shows the largest annual increase in both the number and percentage of pedestrian fatali- ties in the more than 40 years those national records on such deaths have been kept, with the second largest increase occur- ring in 2015. Pedestrian deaths as a share of total motor vehi- cle crash deaths increased from 11 percent in 2006 to 15 percent in 2015. Spike in pedestrian deaths Preliminary figures show U.S. pedestrian deaths rose sharply in 2016, continuing a recent trend that researchers believe is partly due to distraction caused by electronic devices. U.S. pedestrian deaths by year: 2016 (est.): 5,997 6 thousand deaths 5 4 3 2 1 0 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 Pedestrian deaths as a percentage of all traffic fatalities: 16 percent 15 14 14 14 ’11 ’12 ’13 15 15 ’14 ’15 13 13 12 11 14 11 11 ’06 ’07 12 12 ’08 ’09 By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown has offered only a vague explanation for the dismissal of three of the five-member Environmental Quality Com- mission Wednesday. The same day Brown removed chairwoman Colleen Johnson and Commissioners Morgan Rider and Melinda Eden, she also announced nominees to replace them. The trio was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but Johnson said they plan to issue a statement today. The governor believes her new picks will bring new per- spectives to the commission and work more collaboratively with her office, said Brown’s spokesman Bryan Hockaday. “As an oversight body, Oregonians expect the EQC to take decisive action to create rules and guide policies that are protective of human health and preserve vital habitats of diverse species by ensur- ing our air and water is clean and available to future gener- ations of Oregonians,” Brown said in a statement. “Amid uncertainty at the federal level, these goals could be at risk. It’s essential that the EQC work collaboratively with the Gov- ernor’s Office in meeting these new challenges.” Johnson told the Regis- ter-Guard that she and the two other former commissioners “were completely blindsided and stunned.” The agency, which enforces laws curbing air, ground and water pollution, has a $332 million budget and about 700 full-time staff. The new nominees are Kathleen George, a member of the Grande Ronde Tribal Council; Wade Mosby, a founding member of the For- est Stewardship Council; and Molly Kile, an associate pro- fessor at Oregon State Univer- sity. If confirmed by the Senate April 26, they will start their new positions May 3. The change in leadership comes after the commission on Feb. 15 selected Brown’s nat- ural resources adviser, Rich- ard Whitman, as DEQ direc- tor. Whitman, who had been adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaber and then Brown, had served as interim director since October. That month, former Director Dick Pedersen resigned amid scandal over the agency’s response to heave metal emis- sions in the Portland area. Commissioners Sam Baraso and Ed Armstrong will remain on the commission, according to Brown’s office. 10 ’10 SOURCE: Governors Highway Safety Association “This latest data shows that the U.S. isn’t meeting the mark on keeping pedestrians safe on our roadways,” said Jona- than Adkins, the safety asso- ciation’s executive director. “Every one of these lives rep- resents a loved one not coming home tonight, which is abso- lutely unacceptable.” Traffic fatalities over- all jumped 6 percent last year, pushing deaths on U.S. roads to their highest level in nearly a decade and erasing improve- ments made during the Great Recession and economic recov- ery, according to data released last month by the National Safety Council, a leading safety organization. The council esti- mates there were more than 40,200 traffic deaths in 2016. The last time there were more than 40,000 fatalities in a single year was in 2007, just before the economy tanked. There were 41,000 deaths that year. AP But pedestrian deaths are sharply outpacing fatalities overall, climbing 25 percent from 2010 to 2015, accord- ing to Retting’s research. Total traffic deaths increased about 6 percent over the same period. “We cannot look at dis- tracted driving solely as an in-vehicle issue,” said Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for the safety council. “That discounts the impact distraction could have on pedestrians.” On the other hand, “walk- ing is working,” she said. “Just as we need drivers to be alert, pedestrians have to be, too.” Another factor in pedestrian deaths is alcohol. Thirty-four percent of pedestrians and 15 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes were intoxicated at the time, Retting said. But there is no indication that there has been a change in drinking habits that would account for the spike in deaths, he said. N e w Full color, scenic montage postcards of Astoria now available at the Daily Astorian office! 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