BOSTON (WHDH) - A new report says distractions are leading to a rise in pedestrian deaths.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed by cars in 2017.
The report showed the number of pedestrian deaths has gone up 27 percent from 2007 to 2016.
Marijuana may also play a role in pedestrian deaths, according to reports.
“There really is no current process in place anywhere in the country that seems to be very effective at engaging driving while impaired when it comes to marijuana,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “One of the issues that has been raised by a number of people is the difficulty associated with identifying and dealing with this issue for people who are driving while impaired.”
The report added that pedestrian deaths increased by more than 16 percent in the states that legalized recreational marijuana use between 2012 and 2016.
However, the study acknowledges that it cannot directly link marijuana to those deaths.
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