Pedestrian fatalities in New Jersey increased this year to the highest number seen in more than two decades.

State police statistics show that 180 pedestrians have died so far in 2017. That's 20 more than the 160 killed in 2016.

It's also the highest number of pedestrian deaths recorded by the state Division of Highway Safety in 24 years, since 197 were killed in 1993.

A staggering 282 pedestrians died in 1982, the highest number in recent memory.

"Distraction on the part of drivers and pedestrians is a growing concern," said Cathleen Lewis, a AAA Northeast spokeswoman. "Also, we have more pedestrians out on the streets, but infrastructure hasn't caught up."

Drivers traveled a record 3.2 trillion miles last year, the fifth straight year of growth, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Overall, traffic fatalities increased as well, to 613 deaths in the state so far this year.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has analyzed pedestrian fatalities and ranked suburban highways, also known as arterial roads, as the most dangerous because they often lack sidewalks. The 2017 data will have to be analyzed to determine the causes and the most dangerous roads, said Janna Chernetz, New Jersey Policy Director for Tri-State.

"I don't know if we can tell why (fatalities increased) until the data is looked at," she said. "But the increase should sound an alarm."

Tri-State has advocated for more pedestrian infrastructure on highways with high pedestrian death rates, such as Route 130, ranked as the most dangerous road in the state for pedestrians by the campaign.

"In more rural areas, where there's no sidewalks, people are walking for fitness and may not have a safe place to do so," Lewis said. "In northern counties, where there are no sidewalks to train stations, I've heard about some issues."

Agencies also need to consider improving infrastructure at dangerous locations to prevent pedestrian fatalities, she said.



"We also need to start looking at places where there are non-fatal crashes, as well as near misses," Lewis said. "Those are areas where we can't just wait for something bad to happen."

Agencies such as the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority are using an educational program aimed at drivers and pedestrians called Street Smart NJ. The program works with cities and towns to reinforce laws about speeding, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, and jaywalking.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.