The primary causes behind injuries of pedestrians by vehicles
About 130,000 pedestrians are treated as an outcome of car accidents, as estimated by the Center for Disease Control in 2017.
Additionally, thousands of these pedestrians acquired injuries that proved to be fatal. In terms of contributing factors to these accidents, it included distracted driving and walking with poor visibilities and negligence. One has to understand how these underlying causes’ end up contributing to some serious injuries as you learn about the primary causes of accidents of the pedestrians.
If you are a pedestrian injured in an accident with a motor vehicle, you should consult with a pedestrian accident attorneys. A personal injury lawyer that specializes in pedestrian accidents can help you sort out the facts of your case and develop a winning legal strategy.
Most-noted causes of Pedestrian-vehicle mishaps
They are mainly due to the negligence of the driver or the pedestrian. Here are the most noted causes of the mishaps of the pedestrians. The following are the factors of negligence that is included here:
- Speeding
In the areas that have lowered speed limits, some drivers are sure to speed up their vehicles and fail to stop in time when a pedestrian is crossing the road. In terms of safeguarding both the pedestrians and the drivers, the community streets, neighborhood roads, and school areas have lower limits in speed. And in terms of any mishap due to the driver’s negligence, the Decatur Pedestrian Accident Lawyer takes over to help the pedestrians sue the drivers.
- Being Under the Influence
It is quite illegal and unsafe when it comes to driving while being under the influence of alcohol and other substances. Accidents do happen when people are operating vehicles under these influences, unfortunately. According to the CDC, about 48% of pedestrian accidents can result in fatalities that involve intoxication due to alcohol and other related drugs.
- Bad Weather Conditions
Bad weather conditions involving rain or snow can also affect the visibility of both the pedestrians and the drivers, and this way, the likelihood of accidents increases significantly. The icy or slick roads can also cause these drivers to lose control of their vehicles, easily leading to crashes.
- Unable to stop with bad sight
Accidents also happen due to the bad visibility and not being able to look out for the pedestrian. For pedestrians who are injured in mishaps occurring during the nighttime, this is quite true.
- Pedestrian Crosswalks that are not marked
Accidents that occur in crosswalks generally account for about 70% of pedestrian injuries. According to reports by the NHTSA, these accidents often occur if the pedestrian lacks the appropriate stop and go signals for safely crossing the road.
- Left-Hand Turns
There is always the risk of the drivers hitting them while making a left-hand turn, even while a pedestrian is crossing the street here. The drivers should be yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks since they have the right of way.
- Arterial Roadways
The lanes and the intersections and drives connecting the major highways and roads are these arterial roadways. These pedestrians are presented with a greater risk of being involved in a fatal accident due to a heavier traffic flow. Due to higher speed limits along these roads, pedestrians have greater risks of undergoing some serious accidents.