Georgia has some of the lowest rates of bicycling in the US.That probably has something to do with the fact that this is one of the most dangerous states for bicyclists in the country.In fact, Georgia ranks at number eight nationwide for the number of bicycle accident deaths and, of course, these means there are also a significant number of injuries.As any Atlanta injury attorney will tell you, the state is not much safer for pedestrians either.According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Metro Atlanta region is the 10th most dangerous metropolitan area for pedestrians in the country.This summer, the Georgia Department of Transportation needs to focus on how to reduce pedestrian accident and bicycle accident deaths.
There’s no doubt that a pedestrian in Atlanta is at serious risk of injuries in an accident.For example in Georgia, pedestrian accidents make up just 1% of all traffic accidents, but these deaths account for 10% of all traffic accident fatalities every year.
Few cities in the country have the kind of congested traffic that Atlanta has, and pedestrians and bicyclists have a big role to play in relieving some of this traffic.It’s the reason why Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers believe in the need to encourage bicycling and walking as sustainable, efficient, and most importantly, safe means of transportation.However, encouraging biking in Georgia has been an upward climb, because of the high risk of injuries to bicyclists here.
Unfortunately, in Georgia, pedestrian accidents and bicyclist accident accidents are part of the risks from walking or biking. However, that risk can be reduced.In 2010, Georgia adopted the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Action Plan that includes a number of measures aimed at increasing safety for bikers and pedestrians in the state.For instance, the plan would invest in educating transportation professionals on bicycle design and pedestrian safety, as well as increasing the number of crosswalk enforcements.The plan would also identify pedestrian and bicycle accident hotspots across Georgia, and look into the installation of safety features that could prevent these accidents.The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Action Plan needs to be implemented in its entirety as quickly as possible.