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the Stresa funicular snapped on Sunday while it was bringing sightseers up to the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore in Italy’s northern Piedmont region.

They have said the emergency brake on the supporting cable didn’t engage, which sent the cabin reeling back down the line until it pulled off, crashed to the ground and rolled over down the mountainside until it came to rest against some trees.

Less Traffic, More Killed

The number of pedestrians killed in road crashes rose in 2020 even though there were fewer vehicles on the roads during the pandemic, ABC News reported.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), there were approximately 6,721 pedestrian deaths last year, up 21% – the largest-ever annual increase – from 2019. Earlier this year, the National Safety Council (NSC) noted that the estimated rate of death on the roads last year spiked 24% – despite a 13% drop in the total number of miles driven during that time.

GHSA’s senior director of external engagement, Pam Shadel Fischer, told ABC News, “Reckless driving was really impacting pedestrian safety during the pandemic, and that is mind-boggling to us because we know that vehicle miles traveled dropped.

“Speeding is a huge factor in pedestrian serious injuries and fatalities,” she said. “We’ve got to get motorists to slow down.”

She added, “We’re more likely to see pedestrian fatalities happen in urban areas where you’re going to have that more dense mix of motor vehicles and people on foot. Oftentimes, there are issues related to socioeconomics, access to transportation.

“It takes everybody working together” to solve the problem, she emphasized. “The onus shouldn’t just be on the pedestrian, the onus shouldn’t just be on the car driver, we have to work together.”

The highest increases in percentage of pedestrian deaths were seen in Kansas, Vermont, and Rhode Island. The deaths were also more likely to occur in urban areas and affect people of color, Shadel Fischer added.

Despite the general increase in pedestrian deaths, decreases were seen in 19 states, with 11 states, including Maine, Hawaii, and Delaware, reporting double-digit drops.

Gov. Whitmer Flouts Her Rules

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was captured in a photo breaking her state’s COVID-19 regulations.

The photo showed Whitmer at an East Lansing bar and grill, together with a large group of friends. Neither Whitmer nor some of the others were sitting six feet apart from everyone else. The photo was shared on social media by an attendee but was later taken down.

Michigan’s COVID-19 guidelines require both masks and social distancing at indoor gatherings and demand that no more than six people sit together at a table and that a distance of at least six feet be maintained between tables.

In response to the backlash, Whitmer said, “Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols. Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together.

“Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize.”

Michigan Freedom Fund’s Executive Director Tori Sachs tweeted that Whitmer “should end all restrictions immediately. It’s ridiculous the rest of us have to abide by these ridiculous rules while Whitmer doesn’t.”