Pedestrian accidents are on the rise. Between the years of 2000 and 2009, there were enough pedestrian deaths in the United States to be the equivalent of a jumbo jet that is full of people crashing once a month. That is a lot of deaths that could be avoided if drivers were more aware and not so distracted. The report called “Dangerous by Design” is where this data was derived.
Too often, streets are not paved with pedestrian, bicycle or wheelchair access to begin with so they are already an accident waiting to happen. From 2003 through 2012 47,025 people were hit and died while they were walking along the road. This is more than all the natural disasters put together, to include floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes. Approximately 676,000 people who were walking were injured in an accident with a vehicle in America. This translates to a pedestrian accident every eight minutes.
The states in the southern region of the U.S. have the dubious honor of having the most pedestrian unfriendly cities in America. This includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. The states with the lowest pedestrian accidents are Alaska, Washington D.C. and Vermont.
The people who seem to be the most at risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident are low-income people, people of color, children and the elderly. The common denominator here is that they don’t have access to a vehicle and are forced to walk.
If you have been involved in a pedestrian accident and don’t know what to do about it, you may want to consult with a professional in the field of law.
Source: AARP, “‘Dangerous By Design’ 2014 Report,” accessed Jan. 12, 2016