When cars and pedestrians collide, the pedestrian always loses. Even a slight tap from a moving vehicle can send a pedestrian sprawling onto the pavement and lead to serious injuries.
Many pedestrians don’t even survive their run-ins with vehicles. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 2018 was the worst year in nearly three decades for pedestrian safety. There were a total of 6,227 pedestrians killed that year — and thousands more injured.
Why the sharp increase? It comes down to a few basic factors:
- People are more distracted than ever. Smartphones have captured everyone’s attention — drivers and pedestrians alike. Drivers may be distracted by everything from their global positioning systems to their coffee. Walkers, for their part, may be distracted by music or podcasts.
- There aren’t enough crosswalks. Cities and rural areas alike can have problems because neither are generally designed with foot traffic in mind. In rural areas, pedestrians may not even have the benefit of sidewalks. The nation’s transportation system was designed around cars — not the growing foot traffic.
- The cars are bigger. Americans tend to enjoy large vehicles, like pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles. There are also an increasing number of delivery trucks and vans on the road due to the popularity of online shopping. The bigger the vehicle, the more damage it can do to a human body when it hits one.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a serious pedestrian accident, find out what rights you may have to compensation for your losses. The road to recovery can be much harder without the right financial support.