Georgia Injury Law Blog
Georgia Pedestrians at Risk from Shortage of Crosswalks
A pedestrian accident last week in Marietta killed a four-your-old boy and seriously injured his mother and sister. The family was crossing the road in front of their apartment when they were struck by a van. The driver of the van drove off from the scene, but was traced later and arrested.
As Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers, we often come across the single most important question that people seem to ask whenever a pedestrian is involved in a collision. Was the person walking on a crosswalk?
Unfortunately in the Marietta accident, there was no crosswalk for at least half a mile on either side.Persons who alight from a bus at a nearby bus stop are forced to walk across several lanes of busy traffic to get to the other side. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it’s common to find pedestrians trying to cross the road with dozens of cars whizzing past them. It’s an exceedingly busy road, and urgently needs a crosswalk (or more) to prevent pedestrian fatalities.
According to Atlanta pedestrian safety advocacy group PEDS, pedestrians have a much higher chance of being involved in an accident when they are around a bus stop. Approximately 44 % of pedestrian accidents occur around a bus stop, and an estimated 33% of pedestrian accident fatalities also occur in this zone.
Building enough numbers of safe well-designed crosswalks can greatly contribute to pedestrian safety. As Atlanta pedestrian accident attorneys, we tend to focus on enhancing awareness about pedestrian rights and better enforcement of laws. The fact is that pedestrian crosswalks and other safety aids can also enhance safety. Unfortunately, these are often seen as an additional expense, and often take a back seat to enhancements that convenience motorists and keep them safe.
That kind of attitude must change if we are to minimize pedestrian accident fatality rates in Georgia.