Georgia Injury Law Blog
In 2010, there was a record drop in auto accident deaths from the previous year.However, the number of people dying in pedestrian accidents actually increased.
Last year, 32,885 people died in auto accidents across the United States.That was a drop of 2.9% from 2009.These were the lowest traffic accident death numbers on record since 1949.These accident fatality numbers have declined even as the number of miles being driven by American motorists increased in 2010.In fact, there was a drop in almost all categories of car accident deaths last year, including drunk driving accidents.
However, pedestrians were not safer in 2010.Pedestrian accident deaths actually increased last year by about 4.2% from 2009.Further, the number of persons who suffered a personal injury in pedestrian accidents in the United States increased by a staggering 19 %.Overall, more than 70,000 pedestrians were injured in accidents last year.That increase is puzzling considering that it comes after 4 straight years of declining pedestrian accident death numbers in the US.
Federal transportation officials do not have any explanation for this increase in pedestrian accident fatality numbers.However, the data is still new, and we may have more answers in the months ahead. There are some theories about the reasons for this increase.According to Transportation for America, a pedestrian advocacy organization, there has been an increase in the number of people walking and biking to work in recent months.However, even though there has been an increase in the number of pedestrians, safety conditions have not really improved.
Most pedestrian safety concerns can be linked to poor road design that does not factor in the safety concerns of pedestrians.Many regions in the country have also experienced a movement of low-income groups and immigrants into suburban areas.This has meant an increase in the pedestrian population in suburban areas that have been primarily designed for automobiles.
There’s also some speculation that an increase in pedestrian distractions is also contributing to increasing accident numbers.However, Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers find that hard to believe.There seems to be little evidence to indicate that there has been any increase in pedestrian distractions, like cell phone use while walking.
Unfortunately, this particular area of traffic safety seems to suffer from a lack of research.There is very little solid data available about pedestrian and motorist behaviors as far as pedestrian safety is concerned.However, there are some details that are accepted as fact.For instance, drunk driving seems to be a major factor in pedestrian accidents.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009, approximately 40% of all pedestrian accident deaths in the country were caused by drunk drivers.Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys expect safety initiatives in the months ahead to focus on both distracted driving and drunk driving involving both pedestrian and motorists.
The Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent pedestrians who have been injured in accidents in the Atlanta region and across Georgia.