Common Causes Of Pedestrian Accidents
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
In the world of traffic accidents, the confrontation between a car in motion and a pedestrian is one that the pedestrian always loses. People are comparatively soft, fragile, and not very durable compared to the reinforced chassis of a car, combined with its weight and momentum when it is actively driving. But while we all know that accidents can sometimes happen between cars and people, you might be surprised as to what it is that most commonly at the heart of such incidents. Here are a few of the most common reasons pedestrian accidents with automobiles occur.Clothing
It’s a sobering statistic that 70% of the pedestrian accidents that occur at night are due to dark clothing being worn by the pedestrian, with the driver not being able to see the pedestrian in time. If, for example, a pedestrian is attempting to cross a street, but not at a crosswalk, and with dark clothing on, a driver has no reason to believe that there is a need to slow down, and the lack of bright, visible clothing to reflect off headlights may cause just enough of a delay in reaction to result in a collision.
Alcohol
Not just for drivers, although this is both dangerous and illegal, but for pedestrians as well! There are many documented cases of pedestrians being out on the road while drunk. And while this is not actually illegal, unless you are acting in a disorderly manner, it increases the risk of an accident. There are, unfortunately, documented cases of drunk pedestrians walking on the shoulder of the road and then staggering onto the main road itself as a car was passing by. There are also, of course, incidents where drunk pedestrians ignore traffic signals and attempt to cross the street when they are not actually legally cleared to do so.
Distracted Walking
Once again, similar to distracted driving, this can also apply to pedestrians. A person deeply engaged in text messages on their phone, while having headphones on and listening to music may not be entirely unaware of the surrounding traffic situation. Some pedestrians have fallen off sidewalks and stumbled onto the road simply because they weren’t aware they were actually at a sidewalk’s edge; they were too busy looking at their phone. Statistically speaking the number of deaths related to distracted walking is much higher in cities. So urban centers like New York, Los Angeles and Miami regularly have a higher death toll than rural areas.
Left Turns
This is probably the most common cause of pedestrian accidents nationwide. Drivers that want to make a left turn at an intersection are most often paying attention to the road ahead to make sure it’s clear, and not looking at the crosswalks on the left, where pedestrians may be attempting to cross the street. As a result of wanting to make sure that they make their left turn and are not kept waiting at the traffic lights for another cycle, drivers can sometimes hit pedestrians that are legally crossing.
If you find yourself in an accident as a pedestrian, and you know that you’re not at fault, talk to a personal injury lawyer. As an injured pedestrian, you may be entitled to damages.