Increase in pedestrian accident fatalities in Arizona and across the Nation

The chances of being killed in a pedestrian collision has seen an increase over the last few years in the United States. The federal government is reporting that there was an increase of 4% in pedestrian deaths from 2009 to 2010.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that 4,280 people on foot were killed by motor vehicles in 2010. On average a pedestrian was killed every two hours Surprisingly, the government reports that almost 80% of the fatalities in 2010 occurred outside of intersections. In my experience, most accidents I work with happen within the four corners of an intersection. This higher death rate statistic could be due to the fact that motor vehicles traveler higher speeds outside of intersections.

Almost 90% occurred in good weather conditions, almost 70% of the victims were males and 68% of the accidents occurred at night. Not surprisingly, alcohol was a factor in 47% of all fatal accidents either for the driver or for the pedestrian.

Here’s another fact. Arizona made the top five states for fatal pedestrian collisions in 2010. The top four states were 1. California (599), 2. Florida (487), 3. Texas (345), 4. New York (303). In Arizona, according to ADOT, 155 pedestrians were killed in 2010.

There is definitely a pattern here. Four out of the five top are warm weather states. New York was the only exception, however they have a huge population and NYC is a dangerous place to be a pedestrian. The logical conclusion here would be that people spend more time walking around outside in warmer weather states, as compared to cold-weather states.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the four states with the least pedestrian deaths were Wyoming (3), Vermont (4), Alaska (6) and North Dakota(7). All cold-weather states.

Like the Nation, Arizona has seen an increase in pedestrian deaths as of late. In 2009, 122 pedestrians were killed. That number increased to 155 and 154 in the years 2010 and 2011.

In 2011, there were a total of 1,507 pedestrian accidents, and in those accidents 1,253 were injured. Due to the fact that pedestrians are unprotected, injuries in these accidents can be severe. Victims often incur head trauma, fractures, and spinal cord injuries, to name a few.

As I said above, alcohol often plays a role in many of these collisions. However, so does driver inattentiveness. Motorists look to protect themselves first. They pay close attention to other cars and trucks on the roadway, but then they fail to keep a proper lookout for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Left turning vehicles have a history of striking pedestrians in crosswalks. A driver pulls out into an intersection on a green light waiting for traffic to clear and turn left. When there is an opening, they rapidly accelerate and fail to observe crossing pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Distracted drivers are also known for hitting pedestrians. Not too long ago, lawyers at our office worked on a case where a texting driver lost control of a vehicle, drove up onto a sidewalk and struck to pedestrians who were walking out of a convenience store.

If you have been hit by a car while traveling on foot, contact a dedicated Arizona pedestrian accident attorney and Abels & Annes. P.C. for a free consultation. Call us at 602-819-5191 or click the link at the top of this webpage to visit our website.

Resources:

Pedestrian fatalities up 4 percent in 2010; non-intersection crossings most deadly, By Jim Barnett, CNN, August 7, 2012
Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, 2009, 2010, in 2011, Arizona Department of Transportation
Other blogs:

Mother and daughter seriously injured by a drunk driver in Phoenix, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, March 12, 2013
Handling your personal injury claim without a lawyer?, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, February 7, 2013