Why are Pedestrian Accident Fatalities on the Rise?

By Peter DePaolis
Attorney

Recently, WTOP-TV reported that fatal pedestrian accidents are increasing nationwide, as 4,735 pedestrians were killed in 2013, the most recent year data was available.

The data comes from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which reports that there has been a 15 percent increase in the total number of fatal accidents since 2009. This means that one pedestrian is killed in an accident every two hours in America.

“[C]learly more can be done to make travel on foot as safe as possible,” GHSA executive director Jonathan Adkins said, according to WTOP. “Taking a comprehensive approach that includes education, engineering and enforcement is the best way to maximize limited resources and get results.”

Among pedestrians killed the most are motorists who are stranded along highways, construction workers and emergency responders. Additionally, the GHSA said that alcohol, speed and distractions are contributing to the surge in pedestrian accidents.

According to WTOP, researchers have also discovered that people between the ages of 20 and 29 are more likely to be involved in pedestrian accidents due to electronic distractions. Research by the University of Washington found that as many as 2 million injuries to pedestrians might have been related to distracted walking in 2010.

Seek Justice Following a Pedestrian Accident While Fatalities Are On The Rise

As we have been reporting in our blog over the last few years, D.C. has a notorious reputation for pedestrian danger, as the metro-area has one of the worst pedestrian accident rates in the country last year, experiencing about one death per week.

This is why our D.C. injury attorneys support Street Smart, a pedestrian awareness campaign focused in the metro-area. You can visit the campaign’s website by clicking here, where you can see pedestrian safety tips.

If you are involved in a pedestrian accident or your loved one has been killed, you should contact our injury attorneys in D.C. We can investigate your case and determine if negligence played a role in the crash.

We would like to see an end to the rise in pedestrian accidents in the D.C. metro-area. You can reach us by clicking on the live chat option on this page.

Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis LLP

Washington, D.C. Injury Attorneys

Source: http://wtop.com/sprawl-crawl/2015/08/study-pedestrian-fatalities-rise/

About the Author
Peter DePaolis joined the firm in 1980 and has since represented a large number of individuals involved in automobile collisions, truck accidents, bus crashes, defective products, and medical malpractice cases. A significant portion of Mr. DePaolis’ practice is devoted to working on behalf of people suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related cancers. He has led his firm’s fight against the asbestos industry and has recovered over $30 million in damages for asbestos victims and their families.