South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
When crossing the road, your best bet is to cross at a crosswalk.
According to recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), you’re most likely to be injured or killed in a traffic accident if you choose to cross the road at a non-intersection.
According to CNN, more and more pedestrians are at risk of being injured or killed on our roadways. After about 10 years of declining pedestrian fatality statistics, the United States experienced a near 5 percent increase in the number of these fatalities, despite and overall decrease in the number of traffic deaths.
Our West Palm Beach pedestrian accident attorneys understand that there were close to 4,300 pedestrians killed in the U.S. in 2010. An additional 70,000 were injured. As a matter of fact, Florida continues to be ranked one of the most dangerous states in the nation for these accidents. According to the NHTSA, the Sunshine State ranked second place for having the most pedestrian fatalities in 2010. We only followed the state of California.
In 2010, a pedestrian was killed in a traffic accident every 2 hours and one was injured on an average of every 8 minutes. Many of these accidents could have been prevented had drivers of taken than extra second to actually look for pedestrians along our roadways.
According to the NHTSA, about 80 percent of these fatalities occurred at non-intersection areas. About 90 percent of them happened in clear weather, meaning there was no rain or other poor condition to blame it on. Nearly 70 percent of these fatalities occurred at night and more than two-thirds of the pedestrians who died during the year were males.
There are some dangerous days to be a pedestrian, too. Close to half of the pedestrian fatalities from 2010 occurred on a Friday, a Saturday or a Sunday, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis. Alcohol was involved with the driver or with the pedestrian in just about 45 percent of the fatal accidents, too.
“Most people are pedestrians at some point in their day,” David Strickland, NHTSA Administrator.
Top Five Most Dangerous States for Pedestrian Fatalities in 2010:
-California: 599 deaths.
-Florida: 487 fatalities.
-Texas: 345 fatalities.
-New York: 303 deaths.
-Arizona 146 deaths.
In 2010, pedestrian fatalities accounted for close to 15 percent of all of the traffic fatalities in 2010.
We would like to remind everyone that the safety of pedestrians is a two-way street. It requires participation from both drivers and walkers. It’s not too late to help to bring these stats back down in 2012.
Drivers are asked to be cautious, especially here in Florida. States with nicer and warmer weather typically experience more pedestrian fatalities because walkers are welcomed outside all year round. Be cautious near schools and near neighborhoods, but always be on the lookout for pedestrians as they can be found virtually anywhere.
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact Freeman & Mallard for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-561-7777.
Additional Resources:
Pedestrian fatalities up 4 percent in 2010; non-intersection crossings most deadly, by Jim Barnett, CNN
More Blog Entries:
Pedestrian Accident Watch: Woman Killed by Passing Car While Mowing Grass, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 7, 2012
Accident on the Florida Turnpike Kills Pedestrian, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, July 4, 2012