Drivers and walkers are responsible for pedestrian safety on the streets. Drinking and distraction, for example, are risky behaviors for both groups.
Jonathan Adkins used to catch up on personal phone calls as he walked home from his job in Washington, D.C., where he is executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), an organization representing state highway safety agencies.
Once he became aware of how distracted he could become as he got engrossed in a conversation, however, he gave it up. “My walk is much more pleasant,” he says. It also became safer.
Pedestrian safety has become a major national concern recently. Injuries and fatalities are on the rise again in the U.S. In 2013, 4,735 pedestrians were killed, a 15 percent increase since 2009. The trend continued in the first half of 2014, the most recent time for which data is available.
Put another way, the numbers are even more sobering: A pedestrian is killed every two hours in the U.S. and one is injured every eight minutes, according to GHSA.
While the injuries and fatalities affect all ages and both genders, the average age of a pedestrian killed in traffic crashes in 2013 was 46, according to the GHSA. Males accounted for 70 percent of the fatalities.
What States Are Doing
States have a variety of policy initiatives, such as moves to reduce speeds on streets and set up slow zones in neighborhoods, Fischer says. Ten states now have ”vulnerable user” laws, which increase fines and penalties for drivers who injure or kill a pedestrian, she says. States such as Minnesota, and cities including New York, have educational campaigns designed to catch both motorists’ and pedestrians’ eyes.
Dangers for Drivers:
For drivers, the top causes of accidents with pedestrians are alcohol, speed and distraction, Fischer says. The advice for drivers isn’t new, but it bears repeating.
• Don’t drink and drive
• Obey speed limits
• Pay attention to the road
Dangers for Pedestrians:
Two factors stand out in explaining pedestrian injuries and deaths: alcohol and distraction. But those are not the only perils. Here is some advice for pedestrians:
• Don’t drink and walk
• Take off your headphones and look up from your cell phone
• Exit a disabled car on the passenger side
• Country roads can be perilous
• Poor lighting and low visibility
Read more of the original article at Edmunds.com.
