There are a few more factors that drive this number up. First is the absolute reliance on cars for basically everything; anyone not in a car is a second-class c

There are a few more factors that drive this number up. First is the absolute reliance on cars for basically everything; anyone not in a car is a second-class citizen that can be killed at any time without much thought given by the public other than the typical "It's just unavoidable, these things happen. What can you do?" Another factor driving this number up is the massive increase in average car size, as SUVs and pickup trucks are pushed harder on average citizens by car companies so they can skirt taxes and make more profits. Add on top of this huge roads and extremely anti-pedestrian laws and you have successfully created a death trap for people walking.