Reckless car drivers and their passengers are not the only ones at risk on the road. Unfortunately, even pedestrians simply walking on the streets are put in the same amount of danger, if not more.
According to the latest Governor’s Highway Safety Association report, 10 percent more pedestrians were killed in 2015 compared to 2014. And that’s just data for one year apart.
Between 2009 and 2014, pedestrian fatalities in the country were found to have experienced as much as 19 percent, from 4,109 to 4,884, specifically. This was from the annual Spotlight on Highway Safety Report, and squarely puts pedestrians to be the biggest victims of traffic fatalities for the past 25 years.
What is ironic about all of this, however, is while pedestrians are put in more danger, driving has been determined to be at its safest in the country today than it has ever been. Safety mechanisms and technology, both in the cars as well as on the roads, all assist the driver to make better driving choices. In some cases even, if the driver is unable to make that driving choice in the nick of time, the car’s smart technology takes over and implements the action automatically.
It could be said that this is the clear advantage of drivers from pedestrians. Drivers have all these gadgets paying attention on the road in their behalf even if they may not be, but pedestrians don’t. So if they are walking distracted because of their smartphones, and they are not paying attention to where they are going, then it is definitely no wonder how they can end up figuring in an accident.
Pedestrians’ Right to Walk Free
Experienced legal practitioners, such as those from Stephens, Anderson & Cummings do recognize the importance of ensuring that pedestrians are able to walk safely and securely out on proper parts of the road. That’s why personal injury lawsuits are the order of the day in the event that someone unfortunately falls victim to bad driving.
Despite the findings of the report seemingly putting the blame on the pedestrian as well, advocates of pedestrian safety also insist that this trend is also traceable to the fact that the environment is not just unsafe, but is actually hostile.