To live in New York City is to be a pedestrian – at least part of the time. Walking is often the most efficient (and least frustrating) way to get where you are going. Despite how many pedestrians there are, however, the automobile is still king in NYC and throughout the country. Our infrastructure was designed around motor vehicles, and street environments are often hostile to those choosing to get around on foot or bicycle.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pedestrian fatalities increased by 46 percent between 2010 and 2018. Statistics show 6,283 fatal pedestrian accidents nationwide in 2018, which is a 28-year-high. In an era when traffic safety overall seems to be getting better, why is pedestrian safety actually getting worse?
USA Today recently reported on a new book that seeks to explain the causes of this problem, the title of which is “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America.” Here are several factors contributing to the problem of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the United States, according to the news article:
- Many people drive SUVs, which are heavier and taller than average sedans. This means they strike pedestrians with more force and higher on their bodies, where vital organs are located.
- Speed limits are often too high and insufficiently enforced. A lower-speed collision with a pedestrian is likely to be injurious, but increasing the collision speed even a little bit can make a crash much more likely to be deadly.
- Distracted driving is getting worse. And police aren’t doing a good job tracking or reporting it.
- Car culture means that pedestrians are treated as a nuisance. This is true even when they are obeying traffic laws.
- Lights and crossing signals are too short. Many don’t give adequate time for older or slower pedestrians to cross.
- Race plays a role. When pedestrians are waiting to cross at an intersection without lights or stop signs, drivers are more likely to stop for white pedestrians than pedestrians of color. Also, non-white pedestrians are statistically at greater risk of being struck and killed by motor vehicles.
It is clear that these problems cannot all be solved by increased public awareness or mere safety campaigns. In order to adequately address pedestrian injuries and deaths, we need a fundamental shift in the culture of travel in American cities, including changes in laws and infrastructure to better protect pedestrians.
Until or unless this happens, the only recourse that pedestrians and their families have is civil justice system. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured (or worse) by a negligent driver, please discuss your legal options with an experienced attorney.
