Connecticut DOT cites surge in pedestrian, motorcyclist fatalities and expands road safety tools

Commissioner Ukalito, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, told the legislature on Feb. 3 that the state is seeing an alarming rise in roadway fatalities and is deploying a suite of safety measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries.

“We are trying to bend the curve to go to 0,” Commissioner Ukalito said during the committee’s oversight hearing, describing 2024 as “higher than average” after the department logged 328 fatalities last year and 27 by Feb. 3 of 2025.

The department singled out pedestrian and motorcyclist fatalities as especially concerning. Ukalito said motorcycle deaths in 2024 were “astronomical” compared with historic norms, and pedestrian fatalities rose as well. He told committee members that many pedestrian strikes occur in poorly lit conditions or at twilight, and that larger modern vehicles can produce more lethal outcomes when pedestrians are struck.

To address those trends, DOT described multiple concurrent initiatives:

- Wrong‑way detection: 37 locations are active; the system has recorded more…