How Can Pedestrian Deaths in Cobb Be Prevented?

A woman hit by a vehicle on Cobb Parkway in Kennesaw early Thursday morning became the latest pedestrian to die on Cobb roads this year.

Pedestrian deaths in Cobb this year include:

Jan. 14: John W. Kelly, 29, of Mableton was crossing Floyd Road—but not at a designated crosswalk, authorities say—when he was struck and killed by a vehicle. Kelly died at the scene.

Feb. 16: At least three vehicles were believed to have hit 53-year-old Rochelle Brown as she was crossing North Marietta Parkway. Police say she was walking on a portion of the road where there was no crosswalk.

March 13: Maria D. Roxo, 79, was pronounced dead after being rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. She had been hit by a car after walking onto Roswell Road for unknown reasons.

May 6: Police say Angie C. Scroggins, 79, walked onto Cumberland Parkway for unknown reasons before she was struck by a vehicle attempting to avoid hitting a pickup truck. Scroggins was not walking in a marked crosswalk at the time she was hit.

July 1: Joshua Heath Chellew, 36, of Mableton was struck and killed in a hit-and-run on Mableton Parkway. Four teens were arrested in connection with the incident.

Thursday: Police say alcohol use by 20-year-old Hannah M. Straton of Kennesaw is suspected to be a contributing factor in the incident that saw her struck and killed by a vehicle on Cobb Parkway just south of Mack Dobbs Road.

What do you think should be done to prevent pedestrian deaths in Cobb? How can pedestrians walking across the county’s busy roads be better protected, and what road improvements should be made to help drivers in heavy pedestrian areas? Tell us in the comments.