Whether you encounter a pedestrian while driving a vehicle or you frequently walk near traffic, it is very important to have a clear understanding of various risk factors connected to pedestrian accidents. In addition, it is helpful to take a look at data on pedestrian accidents, especially since this helps shed light on how prevalent they actually are.
Tragically, pedestrian accidents claim far too many lives each year, and leave even more victims with significant injuries.
Pedestrian accident risk factors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more pedestrians lose their lives in accidents that take place during the nighttime and on urban roads, outside of intersections. When an accident involves faster speeds, a pedestrian has a higher chance of suffering more serious injuries. Additionally, speeding increases the odds of a pedestrian accident altogether. Alcohol plays a role in many pedestrian accidents as well.
Statistics on pedestrian injuries and fatalities
During 2017, traffic accidents left 137,000 pedestrians with injuries that required treatment in emergency rooms, based on estimates. Furthermore, many pedestrians lost their lives. In fact, 5,977 traffic accident deaths involved pedestrians over the course of 2017. To take a different look at this data, every 88 minutes resulted in the loss of a pedestrian’s live during 2017.
Serious pedestrian accidents cause devastating hardships for victims and their families. Losing the ability to work, suffering with significant pain, mental trauma and overwhelming financial hardships become a reality for many families in this position. When these accidents take place because of a driver’s negligence, they must answer for the hardships they have caused.
