[gorbachev]

Yes. It's because the city I raised my kids in had cars speeding everywhere, including residential areas, running red lights and stop signs constantly and when a driver killed someone with their car, they were on the road the next day with no consequences.

[redox99]

In the 70s and 80s there were cars everywhere, pedestrian fatalities were even higher than now. Yet kids played outside alone. So it's not that.

[kdmccormick]

Sure, it's multifaceted. But pedestrian fatalaties have gone down at least partially because children walk to school less often, in a reaction to the huge number of pedetrian killings of the past.