Road safety involves the safety of all who share the road. This includes motor vehicles and pedestrians. Pedestrians do not have any method to shield them from being stuck by a vehicle. Due to this, pedestrians are the most vulnerable group in road safety. To protect pedestrians, cities created crosswalks. These areas are so that pedestrians can cross the street without being hurt. Even with crosswalks, pedestrians are still hurt from auto accidents. The main question is why?
Pedestrian accidents occur mostly due to the negligence of drivers of motor vehicles. When motor vehicles drive into an intersection, they usually do not look out for pedestrians. This could be due to:
Drivers that are on their cellphone are the most distracted drivers. Motorists who drive distracted take the focus off the road and on to something else. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that the main types of distracted driving are visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. Eating, drinking, using the phone while driving, texting while driving, having a conversation with someone in the car, using the navigation system are examples of being distracted. The CDC reports that texting while driving is the most dangerous distraction because it combines all three types of distraction. It takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. However, a fatal accident can happen in 5 seconds.
When drivers drive over the speed limit, this can affect stopping time needed to safely stop and can cause serious or fatal injury. Speeding can be caused by other factors such as driving under the influence, negligence, or horseplay. In any case, it can cause a dangerous hazard to pedestrians as well as other motorists.
Pedestrian accidents happen when drivers fail to yield the road to pedestrians in protected areas such as designated crosswalks. It is the most common cause of motor vehicle accidents. Drivers should take precautions to yield to a pedestrian crossing the intersection or a crosswalk. Drivers should also yield to pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing sign. A pedestrian accident can range from minor to fatal depending on how fast the car was traveling. Treatment for accidents involving pedestrians can be debilitating and most require long term care.
Accidents can leave you shaken. As such, many do not know what to do after experience one. Tran Law Group recommends swift action after you were involved an accident to fully recuperate your full compensation.
