Pedestrian Accidents: Facts, Data and Other Information

Author: mackyanderson | Posted: 10.02.2012

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the definition of a pedestrian is any person who is on foot; walking, running, jogging, hiking, sitting or lying down. That person could be in the risk of being involved in a vehicle crash. Pedestrian accidents have become part of the ever-growing number of mishaps that occur in today’s roads at the United States. In fact, pedestrian deaths make up about 12 percent of all traffic fatalities and 3 percent of persons who suffered injuries annually.

In a recent data released by the NHTSA regarding pedestrian mishaps, 4,092 pedestrians were killed in a traffic crash while an estimated 59,000 were injured on 2009. Average pedestrian deaths occur every two hours, while injuries out of these accidents take place every nine minutes.

Annually, though, there is a steady improvement in terms of the lessening number of pedestrian fatalities in the United States. There was a 7 percent decrease from the number of persons whom are killed at pedestrian mishaps from 2008 (4,414 pedestrian fatalities) in contrast to that of the year 2009 at about 4,092.

Three-fourths of pedestrian accidents in 2009 happened in urban areas (72 percent) more than in rural ones (28 percent). At the same time, that same fraction of pedestrian accidents took place in non-intersections (76 percent) more than in intersections (24 percent). Pedestrian fatalities happen 89 percent of the time in normal weather conditions, while 69 percent of these fatalities occur at nighttime.

In terms of age, persons aged 65 and older make up 19 percent of all pedestrian fatalities (775 deaths) and 8 percent (5,000+) of all injured pedestrians in 2009. A fifth of all children who died in a traffic accident were pedestrians between the ages 5 and 9 years old. Ages 15 and younger make up for 7 percent of pedestrian deaths in the same year, while injuries accounted for 25 percent.

With these statistics at hand, the significant decrease that is very evident in 2009 would still make people consider walking on the side of the road. Walking still remains one of the safest modes of travel today. Not only is walking environment-friendly, but it is also a great way to keep the body healthy. However, it is realized that lack of physical activity, which includes walking, accounts for a considerable number of annual deaths - even dwarfing the total number of motor vehicle fatalities!

The continuous reduction of pedestrian fatalities since the year 2000 was brought by the advancements in law enforcement, facilities, education, and pedestrian behavior. Installation of sidewalks, overpasses, underpasses, and center islands on two-way streets became the pedestrian’s haven. With these advancements, pedestrians were made more careful especially when walking along the street.

Pedestrian accident deaths are frequent in the State of California. In fact, out of the recorded 3,081 traffic fatalities in 2009, 563 of them were pedestrian deaths. Most pedestrian deaths and injuries were caused by the negligence of drivers. A pedestrian who survive a car crash would be able to receive compensation through the help of an injury attorney Los Angeles who has handled pedestrian accident cases.


About Author:
Macky Anderson is web content writer by profession. He graduated from a reputable university with a degree in history. He writes articles regarding legal topics like pedestrian accident lawyer, dog bite law and everything about the law.

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