Pedestrian accidents

Published on: September 13, 2023

Distracted Pedestrians Have Higher Auto Accident Risks

As we head towards the end of summer, pedestrians walking along Atlanta roads must remember to focus on the task of walking and avoid distractions from their cell phones and other devices to avoid car accidents. Unfortunately, too often pedestrians are seen walking across a street while looking at their cell phones or texting. This type of conduct prevents them from being alert to cars entering their paths, even when the pedestrian has the right of way.

A new study in Australia finds that texting on a cell phone while walking significantly increases a person’s risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident. The researchers divided college students into 3 groups. The first group was asked to text while sitting, while the other group was asked to walk without texting. The third group was made to text while walking on a pathway that was specifically designed for the experiment with tiles that were out of place. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that the group of persons who were texting while walking had their focus impacted by their distraction.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that close to 10% of auto accidents in the United States every year are directly linked to motorists using cell phones while driving. Other studies have found plenty of evidence that distractions also seem to place pedestrians at risk of pedestrian accidents. If you are walking while talking on your cell phone, or listening to music on your headphones, you are less likely to identify an approaching car or spot any other kind of safety cues.

Published on: July 30, 2023

Auto Braking Accident Prevention Systems could soon be Required on All Cars thus Greatly Reducing the Chance of a Car Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When a proposed new rule by the federal government becomes final, most cars in the United States will come with automatic emergency braking systems that will significantly reduce the risk of car accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a rule that would require the installation of automatic emergency braking systems on nearly all cars and pickup trucks in the United States. The rule will require that all light passenger cars and trucks that weigh 10,000 pounds or less come with these systems after the publication of the final rule. The rule will also require that automatic emergency braking systems recognize pedestrians at night.

After a period of 3 years from the final publication of the rule, all vehicles in the country will be required to have these systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a significant number of lives will be saved every year as a result of the widespread adoption of the technology. It is specifically believed that 360 lives will be saved in car accidents every year and more than 24,000 injuries will be prevented as a result of the use of the technology.

Published on: July 13, 2023

Pedestrian Accident Wrongful Deaths In 2022 Highest on Record in 40 Years

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

In 2022, the number of pedestrians killed in auto accidents crossed 7,500, the highest on record in 40 years. This is a tragic statistic that demonstrates a problem that is without an easy solution.

The rising number of pedestrian deaths has been a source of concern for transportation safety advocates and pedestrian groups across the country. However, the actual state of pedestrian safety may be even worse than earlier believed. The Governors Highway Safety Association recently released its estimates of the total number of pedestrian fatalities in 2022, and the numbers are staggering. The Governors Highway Safety Association believes that a total of 7,508 pedestrians were killed in car accidents last year, the highest number on record since 1981. That year, a total of 7,837 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents. The total for 2022 are very likely even be higher because final estimates were not provided by the state of Oklahoma.

Most states recorded an increase in car accident fatalities in 2022, including Georgia, where a total of 335 pedestrians were killed in auto accidents in 2022. That was an increase of 14 deaths from the 321 pedestrians killed in auto accidents in 2021. The jump in pedestrian accidents in 2022 is even more concerning because it marks a 77% increase since 2010, while the jump in car accident fatalities over all has been just 25% since 2010.

Published on: June 15, 2023

Road Restrictions on E -Scooters Place Riders at Risk of Pedestrian Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Many cities including the metro Atlanta region have seen a boom in the number of e – scooter riders, but limits on the operations of these vehicles mean that many of these riders choose to ride on sidewalks, increasing their risks of being involved in pedestrian accidents.

Around the country, there has been an increase in the number of e – scooter riders, and cities have welcomed the expansion of this community because that reduces the stress on motor vehicle traffic, especially in congested cities like Atlanta. However, many cities have restricted the roads that these vehicles can be operated on. This means riders often choose to ride on sidewalks, placing them in direct conflict with pedestrians, and increasing their chances of being involved in pedestrian accidents. In fact, according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there has been an increase in the number of e – scooter personal injuries and accidents involving pedestrians.

In most cities, the laws allow persons to ride e- scooters on roads where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. That restricts the operation of ride vehicles to bike lanes and bike paths. In areas where it is not possible to ride on bike lanes, e – scooter riders prefer to ride on sidewalks. This may be safe for the scooter rider, but involves increased risks for pedestrians, especially when the e-scooter is being operated at high speeds. Most riders do tend to lower their speeds when they are riding on sidewalks as compared to riding in a bicycle lane. Even so, the potential risk of personal injuries to pedestrians is very real. Some cities have placed greater speed restrictions on privately operated scooters that are being operated on sidewalks in order to reduce the risk of personal injuries to pedestrians in accidents with the scooters. Other cities are even considering a complete ban on e – scooters on sidewalks.

Published on: May 15, 2023

Auto Accident Deaths in 2022 Remained High Compared to Pre-Pandemic levels

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released new statistics that show that the total number of people killed in car accidents in the United States dropped last year compared to the previous year. However, it may be too early to celebrate.

According to the latest statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 42,795 people were killed in auto accidents in the United States last year. That translated into a minute 0.3% drop from the previous year. In 2021, a total 42,939 people had been killed in auto accidents. However, the toll for 2022 still remains 18% higher than the figures in 2019.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls this a “national crisis of traffic safety” on our roads, and says that Americans need to do their part in helping reverse this rising trend of auto accident deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a comparison of the United States with at least 29 other industrialized countries and found disturbing results. The study found that the United States fares very poorly on traffic safety parameters, compared to other wealthy nations. In fact, most Western countries did not record dramatic rise in wrongful deaths in car accidents the way the United States did during the pandemic.

Published on: January 30, 2023

Car Accident Wrongful Deaths Drop Slightly in First 9 Months of 2022

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Statistics seem to show a slight drop in the number of people killed in car accidents across the country during the first 9 months of 2022, compared to the same period of time the previous year. However, the number of people killed in pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents increased over the same period of time.

New statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show a very slight drop in auto accident fatalities in the first 9 months of last year, compared to the same period of time in 2019. A total of 31,785 people were killed in car accidents between January and September 2022, compared to the previous year. That was a 0.2% drop. The bad news, however, is that bicycle accident and pedestrian accident wrongful deaths continued to rise over the first 9 months of 2022 as they have for several years now.

Car accident deaths across the country and in Georgia have been at elevated levels since 2020 when the pandemic struck and lock downs were imposed. In spite of a drop in traffic volumes with few people driving on the streets, the number of auto accidents began to spike, confounding experts. Since then, we have learned that auto accident numbers began to rise in 2020 because of reckless driving behaviors, including speeding. With lower traffic volumes on the road, motorists became much more comfortable driving at high speeds, and those behaviors have continued since then. Additionally, the lack of enforcement campaigns during this time also meant more numbers of people driving without wearing their seatbelts or driving under the influence of alcohol, contributing to those high statistics.

Published on: January 23, 2023

Majority of Motorists, Pedestrians Concerned about Auto Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Fears for personal safety are widespread among motorists and pedestrians, a majority of whom in a recent survey admitted that they were very concerned about their risks of being involved in an auto accident while traveling.

The results of the survey revealed that as many as 83% of motorists and 78% of pedestrians are concerned about their risks of being involved in an auto accident while on the road. Auto safety is definitely a priority and a major concern for most American motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. Respondents in the survey opined that safe transport should be the top most transportation safety concern for authorities, and should be given more importance than efficient commutes, sustainable transport and other initiatives.

Those fears for safety are not entirely unfounded. Americans have been treated to a variety of disquieting news articles about declining safety standards and increasing car accident deaths across the country over the past few months. In 2021, for instance, there were more than 42,000 car accident wrongful deaths recorded across the country, the highest number on record in 16 years. The number of pedestrians killed in car accidents increased by close to 12% between 2019 and 2021, and there were close to 7,500 wrongful deaths in these auto accidents last year.

Published on: January 9, 2023

Brain Injury Association Launches Concussion Awareness Coalition

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Concussions are some of the most common head injuries that occur in car accidents and motorcycle accidents, but are often ignored with sometimes serious consequences. It is this mindset that the nation’s premier brain injury advocacy group will seek to change with a new initiative.

The Brain Injury Association of America in collaboration with Abbott recently launched a coalition of more than 20 brain injury advocacy groups. The coalition called Concussion Awareness Now will conduct education campaigns across the country in order to raise awareness about the possibly serious consequences of concussions.

According to experts, concussions are often brushed aside as minor injuries. These injuries sometimes can result in no loss of consciousness and no bleeding. There may be no swelling or inflammation at the site of the injury. The lack of any visible symptoms can sometimes spur people into a sense of complacency, and many victims who have suffered a concussion may not even seek medical treatment.

Published on: November 9, 2022

Feds Launch School Bus Accident Prevention Campaign

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

With children back at school, the federal administration is turning its attention to the critically important subject of school bus safety, starting off with a media campaign to specifically warn drivers about the most common mistakes that many of them make when encountering a stopped school bus. Unfortunately, these mistakes often result in the wrongful death from pedestrian accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a school bus safety campaign that warns motorists about the risk to child pedestrians when they illegally pass a stopped school bus. The campaign is expected to last through the entire month of October and also coincides with National Pedestrian Safety Month which is marked in the month of October. It is child pedestrians, specifically school children getting on or off school buses, that the campaign wants to raise awareness about.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the greatest accident threat to school children is manifested not when they are riding on a school bus, but getting on or getting off the school bus. Georgia, as every other state in the United States, has laws that specifically prohibit motorists from passing a stopped school bus. Motorists are required to stop their car for as long as the school bus stop arm is extended. However, many motorists fail to do so every year, and these failures have devastating results. They cause pedestrian accidents that cause serious injuries to children.

Published on: October 6, 2022

Georgia Recorded 45% Increase in Pedestrian Car Accident Deaths Since 2019

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia recorded a staggering 45% increase in pedestrian wrongful deaths in car accidents between 2019 and 2021. The state is one of the worst performing ones when it comes to controlling these fatality numbers.

Latest data by the Governors Highway Safety Association shows a dramatic increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities recorded in Georgia between 2019 and 2020. The increase was approximately 45.6% or an increase of 106 fatalities in pedestrian auto accidents between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, there were 239 pedestrian car accidents wrongful deaths in Georgia, and that number increased to 348 fatalities in 2021. That was a significant increase in 2021, compared to 2019.

In 2020, Georgia recorded 281 deaths in pedestrian car accidents, an increase of 67 from 2019, and a percentage point increase of 23.8 percent. The state performs poorly on a number of parameters. Georgia’s tally of pedestrian wrongful deaths in 2021 was the third highest increase in pedestrian car accident death numbers. Georgia had a rate of 2.62 deaths for every 100,000 pedestrians in 2020 and a rate of 3.22 deaths for every 100,000 pedestrians in 2021.