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Pedestrian death in car accident is related to vehicle speed

Posted by Joseph F. Sullivan | Oct 03, 2014 | 0 Comments

It is estimated that more than 4,500 pedestrians are killed in vehicular accidents each year throughout the United States. The New York City Department of Transportation published statistics concluding that 70 percent of pedestrian deaths are caused by dangerous driver choices. Thus, a car accident involving a pedestrian fatality is generally caused by some form of driver recklessness.

In addition to cutting down on reckless drivers, the incidence of car accidents involving pedestrians would decrease precipitously if the speed of cars on city streets was reduced. Thus, two studies found that over 80 percent of pedestrian deaths in motor vehicle accidents are caused by drivers traveling about 40 mph. The percentage goes down to 5 percent when the vehicle is going 20 mph.

The studies opened the way for new traffic evaluations and an examination of the meaning of "speed" on the roadways. One of the important questions coming from these figures is whether the public may be willing to go along with moderate speed limit reductions to save pedestrian lives. It may be conversely stated as whether the public is willing to sacrifice a few thousand lives each year in return for the privilege of going 40 instead of 20 on city roads.

There are other safety measures that could reduce pedestrian traffic fatalities and serious injuries. One is to make crosswalks more visible – a splash of some bright white paint could save the life of someone close to you. Another measure is to extend the curb into the intersection and thus reduce the size of the crosswalk.

In New York, a great many innovations could be implemented to improve safety protections for pedestrians. First and foremost, however, could be the need to ramp up education to accentuate a culture that respects the rights of pedestrians to be protected from the dangers of a car accident. When people are aware of the consequences of making poor choices, there may be a significant number of them who choose to act with more respect and awareness of traffic safety.

Source: Utne Reader, "How to Prevent Pedestrian Fatalities", Jay Walljasper, Oct. 2, 2014

About the Author

Joseph F. Sullivan

Born in Jamaica, Queens to working class parents, Joseph Sullivan became the second member of his family to attend college and the first to obtain an advanced degree. He graduated cum laude from Temple University School of Law. While there, he was a writer and editor of the Temple Law Review. ...

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