More pedestrians die in California than any other state, report finds

More pedestrians were killed in California last year than any other state, a new report found.

Between January and June 2017, the earliest period for which data is available, 352 people were struck and killed by motor vehicles in California, the study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) claims. By comparison, Hawaii and Wyoming experienced only one pedestrian fatality each during the same period.

The vast majority of California's pedestrian fatalities occur in Los Angeles County. Per county data, 265 pedestrians died after being struck by vehicles in 2016. By comparison, 20 pedestrians died in San Francisco in 2017 – the lowest number of fatalities in the city's history.

In 2014 San Francisco instituted the Vision Zero SF program, an ambitious initiative that seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities by 2024 through intensive data analysis, street engineering projects, public-safety campaigns and smarter police enforcement of traffic crimes.

Pedestrians walk by the intersection of Mission and Fremont Streets in San Francisco , Calif., on Monday, August 29, 2016. Pedestrians walk by the intersection of Mission and Fremont Streets in San Francisco , Calif., on Monday, August 29, 2016. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close More pedestrians die in California than any other state, report finds 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Though a step in the right direction, last year's fatality decrease is "not a victory lap," Tom Maguire, the director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Sustainable Streets program, told San Francisco Chronicle reporter Dominic Fracassa.

"The only acceptable number is zero," he said.

Outside of San Francisco, the figures look increasingly dire. According to GHSA, pedestrians now account for a larger proportion of traffic fatalities than they have in 33 years. In both 2016 and 2017, about 6,000 pedestrians died nationwide.

"It has been more than 25 years since the U.S. experienced this level of pedestrian fatalities," the study authors write.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.