Walking the streets of Indiana is becoming more and more dangerous. Nationwide, in fact, the number of pedestrian deaths is going up. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 2018 saw 6,227 pedestrian deaths, which was the highest that the number has been in nearly 30 years.
Many reasons for the trend
It should first of all be pointed out that more people walk to work, their number increasing 4% from 2007 to 2016. In general, there are also more people. The states with the highest increase in pedestrian deaths from 2017 to 2018 also saw the most population growth. They included Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Texas and South Carolina.
Distracted driving, as one might have expected, plays a large role in all of this with the spread of smartphones being perhaps the most significant contributing factor. Besides phone use behind the wheel, other negligent behaviors include speeding and driving while drowsy. Extreme drowsiness can impair one in the same way that alcohol does. Not surprisingly, many pedestrian accidents involved an alcohol-impaired driver or pedestrian.
SUVs are deadly to pedestrians
The GHSA mentions the rising number of SUVs on the road as another factor. Their greater size and weight makes SUVs more likely to seriously injure or kill any pedestrians they hit.
A lawyer for injured pedestrians
Pedestrian accidents are often the fault of the drivers, though it’s not uncommon for victims to contribute to their own injuries. Nevertheless, you could be partially at fault and still have a chance of recovering compensation from the driver’s insurance company. Negotiating for a settlement may be hard, though, and your degree of fault will proportionally lower whatever amount you can receive. In the effort to make things go more smoothly, you may want to hire a lawyer.
