Alarming new police data is now shining a spotlight tonight on a nationwide crisis particularly seen in one Rockland community when it comes to car accidents and pedestrians getting hurt or killed.

News 12 has reported the crashes and concerns of reckless driving in the town of Ramapo for months and now, the newly obtained data from Ramapo police has revealed an alarming statistic: that at least 38 people walking or on bicycles have been hit by cars in town in the last four months.

“There’s a lot of bad driving out there - reckless driving, speeding, distracted driving,” says AAA spokesperson Alec Slatky. “Everyone wants to get where they need to go safely. We should all be cooperating toward that goal.”

Slatky says crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists are happening at an alarming rate all over the country with thousands of people getting hurt or killed each year. In 2023, AAA data shows there were 7,314 fatal pedestrian accidents nationwide, and 67, 850 crashes that injured pedestrians - a number up from the year before.

“Pedestrians especially, we’ve seen over the past decade a big increase in fatal crashes,” Slatky says. “We need better behavior on the roads; safer roads and we need to make sure laws are enforced. This is a crisis, not only in Ramapo but across the state and country.”

In Ramapo, a 55-year-old man was almost killed on Tuesday and two children hit by cars this year died.

Town officials say they’re working with engineers to improve roadway safety and have created a five-point safety plan that includes driver and pedestrian education.

Ramapo’s data shows that on average at least about two people have been hit each week this year in town. It does not include information about any accidents that may have been handled in areas of town covered by state or Spring Valley police.