Every year, many pedestrians are seriously injured or even killed when they are hit by motor vehicles. Pedestrians should take preventative measures to avoid being struck by cars, and drivers should always be aware of their surroundings so they can spot pedestrians.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 76,000 pedestrians were injured and 4,743 were killed in 2012 alone. That means a pedestrian was injured every seven minutes in a collision, and one was killed every two hours. The CDC indicates that pedestrians have a 1.5 times greater likelihood of being killed in a motor vehicle accident every time they take a trip as opposed to people occupying cars.
Those most at risk include older adults, children and those who are impaired by alcohol. Pedestrians aged 65 and older accounted for 20 percent of those killed and nine percent of those injured. Of children between the ages of 5 and 15 who were killed in traffic accidents, more than one out of five were pedestrians. Drivers and pedestrians who were intoxicated at the time accounted for 48 percent of the fatal pedestrian accidents. The CDC recommends that pedestrians wear reflective clothing or use reflective tape to increase visibility. They should also always try to use crosswalks when crossing the street.
Auto-pedestrian accidents can be especially catastrophic. Pedestrians are unprotected as compared to the protection afforded to car occupants by the car’s frame. They are thus more likely to be seriously injured or to die when they are involved in such an accident. Those who have been injured in these types of incidents may want to consider speaking with a personal injury attorney to determine how to obtain compensation for their losses.