Rockford running club wants to raise awareness in the wake of pedestrians being hit

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Rockford Road Runners want to raise awareness in the wake of three people being hit by cars in the past week.

Carol Wison knows the risk someone takes running, biking or just walking near a road.

“I have a few friends that got hit,” said Secretary of the Rockford Road Runners Carol Wilson. “One got hit by a truck and another one that not so much injured from a car, but from people throwing things at them when they were running.”

It is a problem that has been on the rise throughout the country, with pedestrian fatalities reaching a 40-year high in 2022. In Rockford, 47-year-old Tyra Traylor was killed after she was struck by a vehicle last week.

A man was hit on North Rockton Road earlier this week. Harlem-Roscoe’s Fire Chief believes more people and more vehicles are leading to more accidents.

“I think the only reason it’s probably getting worse is we’re actually there’s more people moving in the communities, there’s more traffic, there’s more pedestrians who are out walking, exercising, walking their dogs, whatever the case may be, is just there’s more people and more vehicles out there right now,” said Harlem-Roscoe Fire Chief John Bergeron.

Wilson said many of the incidents she sees happen at night.

“You just can’t see somebody if they don’t have some something bright on something that’s reflective,” said Wilson. “And if they’re not paying attention, you know, you come on the runners so quickly that there’s not a lot of lead time.”

She said raising awareness is the main key to staying safe.

“I mean, you’ll see a lot of bike riders riding on the wrong side of the road and no helmets,” said Wilson. “And same thing with runners, you know, with people not in reflective stuff and just need to teach the community about what’s safe.”

Pedestrian deaths have been on the rise, with 2022’s total of over 7,500, reaching a 40-year high according to highway safety data.

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