More than 7,500 pedestrians were killed in traffic last year, the highest number in more than four decades, according to a report.

The Governors Highway Safety Administration, a nonprofit representing state and territorial highway safety offices, projected that 7,508 pedestrians were killed near U.S. roadways in 2022, the most since 1981. 

“There are more pedestrians being killed today than in decades,” Russ Martin, GHSA’s senior director of policy and government relations, told NPR.

Federal data cited by the GHSA showed that pedestrian deaths climbed from 4,302 in 2010 to 7,443 in 2021, representing a 77% increase.

New Mexico was considered the most dangerous state for pedestrians because it had the highest rate of fatalities — 5.1 deaths per 100,000 residents.

But a handful of states saw big increases from 2021 to 2022. Arizona had 47 more pedestrian deaths last year than in 2021, while Virginia had 44 more and Oregon 41 more.

The nonprofit’s numbers are considered an estimate because it had access only to preliminary state data and Oklahoma wasn’t able to report its numbers. The organization said last year’s traffic deaths could exceed 8,000 for the first time since 1980 once the data are finalized.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.