When you think of traffic accidents, you often picture two or more vehicles colliding. Yet, pedestrians account for more than 14% of all traffic deaths and 3% of all traffic injuries. And 21% of pedestrian deaths happened in hit-and-run accidents. Pedestrian accidents nearly always result in injuries, which might be severe since a pedestrian does not have a car to protect them.
Being involved in an accident as a pedestrian may cause catastrophic injuries that may affect the quality of your life. If you have been involved in an accident, you need compensation for your injuries, especially if the accident was the result of another’s negligence. Consult with pedestrian accident lawyers who have experience handling such claims.
Every year, thousands of pedestrians are killed in car accidents. The driver of a motor vehicle is sometimes at fault. At times, the pedestrian may be the cause of the collision. However, most motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions may be prevented, regardless of who is at fault.
Here are seven tips to help keep you safe on the road and avoid pedestrian accidents.
Do not pass a car stopped at a crosswalk.
Whenever a car stops at a crosswalk, it is best to presume that a pedestrian is crossing in front of it. This is especially true if you cannot see the pedestrian.
Passing in a crosswalk is illegal in every state in the country. This will result in a penalty or, worse, a traffic violation-related accident with a pedestrian. The motorist is usually held accountable for the pedestrian’s and their family’s expenditures and damages resulting from the injury or death.
Be alert, especially where pedestrians are
‘I never even saw them” This is one of the most common words heard at accident sites throughout the United States, especially when pedestrians or other vulnerable road users, such as cyclists or motorcyclists, are involved.
In a hectic scenario, such as a junction during morning rush hour, the driver’s attention may be drawn to more significant risks on the road, such as big or fast-moving cars, as well as other elements of safe driving. As a result, they miss the smaller, slower-moving, less-threatening people crossing the street.
Drivers should remember that you can find pedestrians anywhere. That’s why drivers must exercise extra caution in places like school zones, routes bordering municipal parks, neighborhoods where children live and play, and parking lots.
Always let pedestrians cross at crosswalks.
The vast majority of motorists know they are required to stop for pedestrians who have activated their walk signals and entered a clearly defined crosswalk. Many need to recognize that any two streets meeting at a junction is a crosswalk, regardless of whether or not there are crosswalk markings or traffic signals at that crossroads.
If you see someone walk into the road, you should stop and give them plenty of time to safely cross to the other side before continuing your trip. Don’t risk an accident by trying to avoid a pedestrian or cutting them off at the crosswalk.
Never pass a bus that’s stopped.
Almost everywhere in the United States has laws requiring motorists to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. The same laws restrict drivers from overtaking school buses with extended stop arms.
When a bus stops, it lets vehicles on the street know someone is getting on or off.
Maintain the speed limit
A significant contributor to pedestrian-involved motor accidents is speeding.
Walking pedestrians are at risk when drivers exceed the speed limit or fail to adjust their speed to the surrounding traffic and weather conditions.
Driving under the influence
According to the CDC, approximately half of all pedestrian deaths involve an intoxicated motorist or pedestrian. Many motorists, however, think they are OK to drive as long as their blood-alcohol content is below the legal limit for adults.
Yet the consequences of alcohol impairment on a motorist don’t start when they hit the legal impairment level, but rather with the very first drink.
At the legal impairment limit, which is typically reached after about four alcoholic drinks in an hour, the driver is generally suffering significant impacts to their concentration, short-term memory loss, difficulty controlling the vehicle’s speed, deficits in their ability to process information, such as changing traffic lights, and impaired judgment.
Avoid distractions on the road.
In addition to speeding and drunk driving, distraction while behind the wheel is a significant contributor to pedestrian-related traffic accidents.
A distraction is anything that takes the driver’s attention away from the road, like eating, talking on your phone, smoking, reaching for something on the back seat or floor, and texting.
