Efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths are working as the number in 2013 dropped. Honda's pedestrian detection system is one more attempt to improve safety.

The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roads dropped sharply during the first half of 2013, according to a new report, reversing a three-year upward trend.

The decline was a notable 8.7%, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, for a total of 1,985 pedestrians killed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. By comparison, 2,175 were killed during the first half of 2012. After dipping between 2006 and 2009, pedestrian fatalities had risen by 15% between 2010 and 2012.

“The preliminary findings are good news, but it’s too soon to celebrate,” said Kendell Poole, GHSA chairman and director of the Tennessee Office of Highway Safety. “With distraction an increasing issue for both pedestrians and motorists, pedestrian safety continues to be a priority in many areas of the country.”

Distracted driving is catching blame for as much as 11% of overall U.S. motor vehicle fatalities in recent years. But “distracted walking” is also a possible factor.

About seven in 10 pedestrian fatalities occurred at night, when it becomes more difficult for drivers to see, especially if a person on foot is crossing out of a marked intersection and wearing dark clothing – or if drivers have become distracted by cellphones or for other reasons.

Fatalities among children have accounted for roughly one in 14 pedestrian deaths in recent years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with those older than 65 making up about one in five of those killed.

While the latest pedestrian figures are trending in a positive direction, the GHSA noted that the death toll actually rose in 20 states and Washington, D.C., while staying level in five others. Fatalities fell in the other 25 states.

California, Texas and Florida had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities during the first half of 2013, repeating a pattern from the year before. Collectively, those three states accounted for a third of the pedestrian totals.  In a number of states, including New Jersey and New York, pedestrian deaths accounted for a quarter of all motor vehicle fatalities. Rural states like North and South Dakota had the lowest percentages, less than 5% of total motor vehicle deaths.

Pedestrian deaths declined rapidly between 1975, when federal crash data was first collected, and 2009. That first year, 7,516 were killed, a number that reached a low of 4,109 in 2009. There have been a number of explanations for why the trend reversed itself in 2010.

Distracted driving is, however, just one factor, experts caution. The GHSA study also points to an epidemic of what’s been dubbed “distracted walking.” A study released last autumn by the University of Washington, for example, found that pedestrians who were texting were four times more likely to jaywalk, stay in crosswalks or look before crossing a street.

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Distracted walking incidents have been linked to a variety of injuries – including pedestrians who have walked into open manholes or even strolled off piers. The Associated Press, meanwhile, surveyed emergency room data for a seven-year period and in 2012 reported that the number of distracted walkers treated for injuries quadrupled – and, the news service added that the problem was “almost certainly under-reported.

Efforts to prevent pedestrian accidents have stirred action at the federal, state and local levels. New U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says it is one of his top priorities. A number of states are stepping up efforts to crack down on distracted driving and also to target distracted walkers.

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In the Big Apple, where jaywalking has long been seen as almost a personal right, New York City’s new Mayor Bill de Blasio has not only ordered tougher enforcement of motor vehicle laws but also told the NYPD to ticket pedestrian scofflaws, a move that has generated howls of protest.

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Around the world, as many as a quarter million pedestrians are killed in traffic accidents annually – most in emerging nations — over a fifth of all roadway fatalities.

The European Union has zeroed in on the problem with regulations requiring vehicles be more pedestrian-friendly. Most manufacturers have responded be creating crumple zones designed to absorb the impact when a person is tossed onto the hood of a car. But Volvo recently unveiled a new system that would fire an airbag hidden near the wipers to reduce injuries when a pedestrian might otherwise slam into a vehicle’s windshield.