Vehicular collisions with pedestrians, including one where a student was hit near a school, are on the rise in the Miami Valley. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, pedestrian accidents are the top cause of all crashes in Montgomery County this year.

OSP noted the average number of pedestrian crashes in a month in Montgomery County was nearly 13 per month.

In September, there were 21, nearly double the number from August.

Seven of those 21 happened during the early afternoon hours of 1-4 p.m. According to OSP, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday have the most pedestrian-related crashes in Montgomery County this year, while Monday has the fewest. And State Route 48 is a hot spot for crashes.

Kara Hitchens, the public affairs manager for AAA, says drivers and pedestrians should stay vigilant, regardless if it’s a busy city street or slow rural road. It also doesn’t hurt to remember the basics.

“In all types of traffic, whether it’s in a quiet neighborhood, which you think you might be safer, but you still need to be careful,” said Hitchens.

“Left, then right, then left again and you look left because that’s the way cars are closest to you. If you’re crossing a street.”

Pedestrians should also be careful on roadways without sidewalks.

“Make sure that there’s plenty of shoulder for you to walk on, plenty of sideway side of the road for you to walk on,” said Hitchens. “A lot of times they don’t have sidewalks to walk on. So you particularly want to be careful there.”

According to the OSP, the majority of the pedestrian-related crashes this year resulted in minor injuries, but there were seven fatalities.