We all know some of the obvious risky behaviors that increase our risk of being involved in an accident right? Among the obvious are: talking on the phone; texting; eating; and rubber-necking. We all know not to drink and drive as well correct? How many of us even consider the possibility that we could be seriously injured or even killed in an accident while walking down the street? Surprisingly, the statistics for pedestrian injuries and deaths caused by motor vehicles are actually higher than you might think. Annually, about 70,000 pedestrians are injured and about 5,000 are killed in motor vehicle accidents. So what can you do to limit the chance that you or a loved one will be involved in one of these accidents?
1. Make sure your children understand how important it is to check before running out into the street. Accident involvement rates are highest for 5-9 year old males. Not surprisingly as they are the most likely to dart out into the street.
2. Wear bright reflective clothing if you must walk in the street in a rural area. While pedestrian crashes are about 5 times more likely to happen in an urban setting, a fatal crash is twice as likely to happen in a rural setting. While urban settings have more traffic and more pedestrians – and therefore are more prone to accidents – rural areas often have no sidewalks and motorists tend to drive faster on the open rural roads.
3. Whenever possible, walk during weekday, daylight hours. Again, the statistics are a bit misleading. There are more accidents during the morning and afternoon hours due to the heavy volume of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Fatalities, however, are more likely to occur at night. It is not difficult to imagine that pedestrians are more difficult to see at night and even harder if alcohol is part of the equation. Nearly half of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
4. Encourage elderly loved ones to walk on designated walking paths or at neighborhood parks. Statistics for elderly pedestrians show that they are more likely to be involved in accidents at intersections as they often have diminished visual and/or physical abilities that make intersections more challenging for them to cross.
5. Lastly, try to avoid walking in areas where speed limits are higher. While this may seem like an obvious piece of advice, it can be the difference between a fatal crash and an injury only crash. Your chances of dying in a crash where the vehicle was traveling at 40 miles per hour are 85% but the likelihood of a fatality goes down to 5% when the speed of the driver drops to 20 miles per hour.
While nothing can guarantee that you will not become the victim of a pedestrian crash, following these tips may help make your next walk a safer one. If you, or a loved one, have been involved in a pedestrian crash and you would like more information on your legal options, contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.
