More than 60 Phoenix-area pedestrians killed by cars this year

PHOENIX — This has been a deadly year for pedestrians in the Phoenix area so far. More than 60 people have been killed after being hit by cars.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Vince Lewis said a task force has been assembled and has begun looking into the cause of the high number of pedestrian deaths.

Over a four-day span last week, five people were struck and killed on Valley streets.

“We’re going through the instances of 2018 from Jan. 1 forward just to take a look and see if there’s any commonalities that we can identify,” Lewis said.

Those areas may include better engineering in some areas, like crosswalk improvement or timed lights.

“And those could be situations where a high-activity crosswalk could be installed or perhaps the timing on a light can be adjusted or the time it takes to cross the street,” Lewis said.

Additionally, Lewis said traffic safety is a shared responsibility among drivers, pedestrians and bike riders.

“Drivers must reduce their speed and remove distractions, to be aware of situations that could change in their path, such as a pedestrian stepping into traffic,” Lewis said.

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