It’s ridiculously beautiful under this gray afternoon sky as we stroll leisurely among perfumed creosotes and desert spoons. We know the statistics—five deaths in 11 days—but we walk anyway. A car nears and we watch it pass, hoping for an advantage, a fair chance to leap away. News reports have gotten to us: Pedestrians are dying at a seemingly alarming rate. But in reality, we know things aren’t as bad as usual; they’ve improved greatly. The last 15 years have been hazardous for walkers. Clark County’s 27 pedestrian deaths this year equal the number from just the first five months of 1995. In 2003, 66 pedestrians were killed throughout the year. Erin Breen, the Safety Community Partnership Program’s director, remembers years when Nevada was among the nation’s top five, including 1999, when the state was No. 1, with 67 pedestrian deaths. Breen says enforcement and engineering helped bring the numbers down and that the recent rash of deaths heightens awareness, which is key to safety—drivers watching for pedestrians and pedestrians making sure a car is stopping for them. It’s literally a two-way street, she says. Even though pedestrians are often faulted for being out of crosswalks, reports will show the drivers speeding: “It’s the speed that kills you. The crash force is so much greater.”