Mackenzie Lewis, daughter of attorney Joe Lewis, writes messages on the crosswalk at the intersection of Fore and India streets where her father was fatally struck by a car on Jan. 3. Lewis’ friends and family held a “Love Bomb” event to memorialize Lewis and remind people of pedestrian safety. Maine has seen six pedestrian fatalities this year already. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

In 2024, Maine didn’t record a fatal crash involving a pedestrian until March.

This year, six pedestrians have died in crashes already.

It’s the highest number of fatalities involving cars and pedestrians in the first two months of the year in at least the past five years. That number so far is higher even than 2022, the deadliest year for pedestrians on Maine roads in recent history, with 20 fatalities total.

“This is definitely not the direction we want to go in,” said Nick Brown, a highway safety coordinator for the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. “If this trend continues, we’re looking to have another very high year when it comes to traffic fatalities.”

Half of the pedestrians killed this year were hit in Portland, including a 57-year-old man who was hit by two cars on Forest Avenue on Sunday night. His death came just a week after another pedestrian was hit and killed while walking near the city’s shelter.

“It’s been a tough start to the year so far, but specifically in Portland, this spike is alarming,” said Andrew Zarro, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, which tracks pedestrian deaths across the state.

Overall traffic fatalities in Maine — including pedestrian deaths — reached a 15-year-high in 2022 with 181 deaths. The state recorded 176 last year, according to preliminary data from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. Fourteen of those were deaths of pedestrians, down from 20 in 2023.

Pedestrian deaths have been on the rise in Maine for years, mirroring a national trend that saw the number of people hit and killed by vehicles jump by 77% from 2010 to 2021.

More than 7,500 pedestrians were hit and killed in the United States in 2022, the highest number since 1981, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. In 2023, the most recent year for which nationwide data is available, just over 7,300 pedestrians died, a decrease of 5.4%.

More than two-thirds of pedestrian fatalities occur at night, and well over half take place in locations without sidewalks.

Experts say a variety of factors contributed to the deadly crashes, ranging from distracted and impaired drivers to speeding and infrastructure that favors vehicles over pedestrian safety.

A SPIKE IN DEATHS

The first pedestrian to die in Maine this year was Mark Michaud, 49, who was hit by a tractor trailer while walking across an Interstate 95 off-ramp in Fairfield at 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 3.

The same afternoon, 61-year-old Joe Lewis was walking to his office on Moulton Street in Portland when the driver of an SUV that had just turned onto India Street struck him, causing a severe head injury. Lewis, a well-known attorney, died after he was taken to the hospital. The driver was not charged.

On Jan. 24, James Card, 74, of Ellsworth, died when he was hit by a car on Route 1A. Police believe Card had entered the road to pick up tools that had fallen from his car when he was hit.

The next pedestrian death was on Feb. 15, when 69-year-old Jeffrey Green was hit by an SUV on Kenduskeag Avenue in Bangor just before 7 p.m. The driver told police the man appeared suddenly in the roadway and seemed to be chasing a dog. Green, who lived in Bangor, died at the scene.

Those deaths were followed by the two most recent Portland fatalities, which came exactly a week apart.

Zarro, a former city councilor, noted that four pedestrians have died in Portland in the past four months. He called on the city to take action to address the problem.

Zarro advocates for Portland and other communities to adopt a Vision Zero strategy to end traffic deaths. Vision Zero, first implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by changing the way roads and systems are designed to ensure safety, healthy and equitable mobility for all.

“What’s evident is that what we have right now is not working,” Zarro said. “This is not an unfortunate streak of bad luck.”

Portland Mayor Mark Dion said last week that the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee is considering adopting a Vision Zero plan, but it would need to come before the full council.

INCREASING SAFETY

Zarro said a combination of street design, education and enforcement could make roads in Maine safer for pedestrians, including installing speed bumps, adding pedestrian islands, and expanding lanes for people on foot or bicycle. Police also need to enforce existing speed limits and the ban on using cellphones while driving, he said.

The bicycle coalition has been meeting with neighborhood groups and municipal officials to talk about how to better protect pedestrians, Zarro said.

“Many communities want safer streets for everyone,” he said. “This isn’t pedestrians versus cars. We want everyone to live in safer communities.”

Brown, from the Bureau of Highway Safety, said that because the circumstances of each crash are so different, it’s difficult to say why there have been so many pedestrian fatalities — although he noted many of the crashes happen when there is limited light.

“When it’s dark, drivers need to be extra cautious, especially in urban areas like Portland,” he said.

Drivers need to pay attention behind the wheel and not get distracted by phones, Brown said. Pedestrians can also protect themselves by walking on the left side of the road facing traffic, using crosswalks when possible, and wearing bright or reflective clothing.

The bureau runs public safety announcements to remind people about safety on the road and gives grants to local police departments for overtime details to focus on pedestrian safety. Brown hopes the messages and enforcement details help remind drivers to pay attention.

“It’s important people recognize when they’re behind the wheel, they’re not jut driving for themselves but the safety of everyone,” he said.