BATON ROUGE — The total number of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists involved in fatal or severe crashes so far in 2026 is higher than at the same point during the previous year, data from LSU's Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety shows.

Greenwell Springs Road, Plank Road, Scenic Highway, Winbourne Avenue, College Drive and Old Hammond Highway all saw at least one pedestrian or bicyclist hit by a car and either injured or killed in the last four months, according to WBRZ records.

Most recently, a 40-year-old woman, Elizabeth Ready, died after a vehicle hit her while she walked along Old Hammond Highway on Monday night. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said the driver tried to avoid hitting her but was unable to do so.

Cassieanna Dorsey knows that kind of situation firsthand. She was using a crosswalk while trying to get across College Drive in May when a driver hit her and left the scene.

"I was just about across the highway," Dorsey said. "They hit the back end of my bike and I flipped off."

Four months later, Dorsey is still recovering from physical injuries and mental scars.

"My back, my neck, I'm still having problems with it," Dorsey said. "Right now, I can't look left or right without turning my body."

The driver who hit her was never caught.

"It's easy to get away with stuff like that. It's more common than you think," Dorsey said.

On Old Hammond Highway near Manson Drive, Move BR began a nearly $12 million project to widen the roadway and add sidewalks. At the April groundbreaking, city-parish officials called the project critical to improving safety for everyone who uses the road.

"It's been needed for some time," said Fred Raiford, Baton Rouge's director of transportation and drainage, back in April. "Particularly in this area that's been growing a whole lot, and it's still continuing to grow."

Experts with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety say heavily trafficked areas can better reduce risk by separating vehicles from pedestrians using barriers, sidewalks and signals.

"Speed is really important when it comes to pedestrian and bicyclist safety," said Jessica Cicchino, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Senior Vice President of Behavior and Infrastructure Research. "Just a small increase in speed can make a huge difference if a pedestrian survives a crash."

The conflict between vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists is growing nationwide and in Louisiana as well.

"Pedestrian deaths sort of went down in 2023 and then they went back up in 2024. It's just hard to say why," said Gregory Fischer, Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Public Information Officer.

Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows a 72 percent increase in deaths from motor vehicle crashes with pedestrians since 2009. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says more than 7,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2024 and more than 70,000 were injured.

LSU's Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety ranks East Baton Rouge Parish second only behind Orleans Parish in the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed in crashes last year.

"If you throw in the stats that are about to be finalized from 2025, over the past six years, we've lost almost 1,000 pedestrians across the state of Louisiana," Fischer said.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission reminds anyone walking or biking on roads to wear reflective clothing and safety gear and to walk against traffic. Safety officials also say drivers need to stay alert on the road.