These cases usually involved people exhibiting irrational or suicidal behavior, or simply trying to travel the shortest distance from one location to another. Less than 3 percent of the pedestrians in the sample were reported to be hitch hiking. Construction workers were involved in less than one percent of the crashes. In cases in which the pedestrian was struck on the shoulder of the Interstate, inattentive, impaired, or drowsy driving was often a factor. Three out of four Interstate pedestrian fatalities occur after dark.
Half occur in unlighted conditions.
Visibility is a major contributing factor in these crashes. In many cases, drivers told police that they did not see the pedestrian until it was too late to react. Few Interstate pedestrian fatalities also involved driver fatalities. The Foundation conducted a survey of state officials from the National Association of Governor's Highway Safety Representatives to find out what countermeasures are currently in place to help alleviate the Interstate pedestrian problem. Most states have some limited countermeasures aimed at keeping pedestrians off of the Interstates.