According to United States Department of Transportation data an average of over 60,000 pedestrians are injured in accidents with vehicles in the United States each year. The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) published a study that showed most pedestrian injuries occur at night.
If you are injured Shane Smith Law can review the incident and advise you of your legal rights.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4,280 pedestrians were killed in 2010 in United States traffic crashes, and another 70,000 pedestrians were injured. This averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 2 hours, and a pedestrian injury every 8 minutes.
Over 47,000 pedestrians died on America's roads and sidewalks from 2003-2012. A report by the National Complete Streets Coalition examined pedestrian safety and pedestrian accident risk in several metropolitan areas. According to the report, cities in the southeastern U.S., including Atlanta, are the most dangerous for pedestrians.
The report analyzed pedestrian accident fatalities from 2003 to 2012. Rates were compared on a state-by-state and national basis with the number of people commuting by foot, coming up with a Pedestrian Danger Index, or PDI score.
The national Pedestrian Danger Index was 52.2 and the annual pedestrian fatality rate averaged 1.56 per 100,000 people. Atlanta ranked eighth nationally with 839 pedestrian deaths from 2003 to 2012, a PDI of 119.35 and a pedestrian fatality rate of 1.59 per 100,000 people.
The study found that arterial roads are the most dangerous for pedestrians, both in Atlanta and across the nation. These are wide, flat and mostly straight high-capacity and high-speed thoroughfares, designed to move the most traffic in the least amount of time. These roads are frequently used by commuters and are surrounded by residential neighborhoods, shopping malls, parks and entertainment features, which also increase the number of pedestrians.
Victims should seek the assistance of an attorney to protect their rights by securing police reports, eyewitness testimony and physical evidence and to deal with insurance representatives. Victims should call Shane Smith Law for a free legal consultation.