U.S. Pedestrian Fatalities Saw Significant Decrease, A First Over a Four-year Span

The latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics in motor vehicle crashes saw an increase in road user deaths. From 32,479 in 2011, the U.S. lost at least 33,561 people in roadway crashes in 2012, the year that covered the latest NHTSA data. The said figure was the first increase after six straight years of decrease in the number of deaths.

Upward trends were seen across many categories, including pedestrians. In fact, at least 4,743 pedestrians were killed in 2012, a 6.4-percent increase from the previous year. The 2012 figure accounted for 14 percent of the total number of motor vehicle crash deaths in the U.S. In California, of the 2,857 people killed, about 21 percent of them were pedestrians (621 people).

Increases in pedestrian accident deaths have been around for the past few years. However, a report released earlier this month saw a significant decline in this category, a first over a four-year span. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), in the first half of 2013, there were 1,985 deaths as opposed to the first half of the previous year 2012, which saw 2,175 fatalities. In all, it was an 8.7 percent fall between the two.

As the report from the GHSA suggests, it is projected that there would be a significant drop in pedestrian deaths in the year 2013 compared to the previous year, although the full stats are yet to be released. Dr. Alan Williams, the lead researcher for the GHSA, was surprised by this sudden change in trends. He didn’t state any one particular reason for the rise and fall of the pedestrian deaths, but he quickly thought that this was brought about by economics.

He theorized that as the economy recovered from the recession that happened in the late 2000’s, more and more people who once ceased driving their vehicles began going back to their old ways, only to worsen the trend of increasing fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. This is one of the reasons why the increase in 2012 was the first over a seven-year span.

Meanwhile, a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles commented on this report, saying that the decrease in pedestrian fatalities are brought about by continuous educational awareness on the part of local, state, and national government in instilling safety on the roads. California, in fact, had been making strides in doing so; it had 37 fewer pedestrian deaths year over year.

Did You Know that California Has the Third Most Number of Pedestrian Deaths in U.S.?

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Walking down the street may seem like a regular, daily activity for you. For thousands of pedestrians in Los Angeles however, walking by the side of the street can be a matter of life and death. Did you know that the State of California is currently the 16th most dangerous state for pedestrians in the United States? Furthermore, California has the 3rd most number of fatalities in pedestrians?

That is why the state government with the help of town and city governments has been doing its best efforts to make roads much safer. Over the years, city streets have been re-engineered and fitted with modern equipment to further increase pedestrian safety.

However, the government alone can only do so much. As it is your life is in danger, you more than anybody has the responsibility to protect yourself from the dangers on the road. Here are some very simple tips that you keep in mind to help ensure your safety and you walk to where you want to go.

Be Predictable. As much as possible, stay away from freeways and other restricted zones as these places are very dangerous for pedestrians like you. Also, make it a point to only cross or enter streets where you are legally allowed to do so. By doing these things, drivers can better predict your presence and exercise more care as they pass along.

Always try to walk facing road traffic. Especially in places where no sidewalks are available, make it a point to walk opposite the direction of the traffic flow. This way you will be able to see where vehicles are going to, helping you be aware of their presence and avoid them if necessary. Also in cases of accidents or in instances where a wayward vehicle passes, you can immediately react to the situation to avoid getting harmed.

Be conspicuous. One major reason why pedestrians get hit is because drivers can’t see them. Avoid walking in dark areas where it will be harder for motorists to see you. If you could wear clothes in light shades, please do so. Being seen will help minimize the chances of you getting struck by vehicles on the road. In dark areas, carry along a flashlight with you.

Be wary. While most drivers are nice, there are ones who are not. Make sure that you don’t trust them to just notice you. Watch out for them coming and try to avoid them if you can.

Don’t drink and walk on the side of the road. Drinking and driving is bad. The same goes for people who hit the road. Do not walk around drunk or drugged as you are not in your best self and you might just end up in an accident.

Be cautious. You must always cross multiple-lane or streets with high-speed traffic with caution. This way you’d be able to better react to situations whenever it is called for.

If you however get involved in a vehicular accident in Los Angeles, it is best that you have yourself treated immediately for the injuries you have sustained. After that, try to find a good lawyer to represent you in court. But you should only trust the best Los Angeles personal injury attorneys that you can find. They will help you with every step of the way to ensure that you get the reparation that you deserve for all of the injuries that you have sustained due to the accident.

Newest U.S. Pedestrian Accident Statistics

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Pedestrian accidents account to only a small percentage of all motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that some 4,432 people who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2011 were pedestrians. This was a 3 percent increase from the previous, in which the NHTSA recorded 4,302.

Meanwhile, the number of injuries in pedestrian accidents reached approximately 69,000; a 1.4 percent decrease from the previous year, which stood at around 70,000. With these statistics, it is reasonable to conclude that many pedestrians right now are nowhere safe with vehicles around, especially in big cities such as Los Angeles in California.

In fact, the pedestrian activity in the second-largest city in the U.S. account to 20 percent of road activity. Sadly, it was revealed that the so-called “City of Angels” had three times as many pedestrian fatalities as the national average, which stands at 11.4 percent.

Indeed, getting involved in an accident while you walk on a sidewalk or use the crosswalk can be devastating. If you live in Los Angeles and you regularly travel on foot to work or school, then you must know that you are entitled to monetary compensation in case you have been injured in an accident.

If you want to claim for damages in a pedestrian accident, it is a must that you seek the expertise of a Los Angeles personal injury lawyers. Basically, pursuing a claim in such an unfortunate incident can be complicated, as this involves hard work with your chosen legal representative.

As it is, there is paperwork involved, as well as investigations to help establish the negligence of the liable party involved in the accident. Also, your claim is negotiated with the insurance company of the liable party. With your chosen attorney, he or she will do his or her best to successfully settle your pedestrian accident claim without resorting to litigation.

As you know, litigation may take a long time to settle, and this may involve legal fees that may be too much for you to handle. More importantly, you must cooperate with your attorney to ensure that you obtain the best compensation you deserve.

Personal Injury: What “Duty of Care” Means

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The legal theory of negligence is what governs most personal injury cases. As it is, this concept is used to determine who is at fault in the accident; in other words, it is entirely dependent on who was doing what.

If you have been injured in a personal injury accident such as a vehicle accident or slip and fall, one of the key elements that you must take into account is if the liable party owed you a duty of care.

In determining liability through negligence, there must be proof that the liable party breached or violated his or her duty of care towards you and other people in a certain situation. If such thing happened and it resulted in injuries, then it is said that there is negligence involved.

To begin with, every person has a legal duty to act with reasonable care in every situation. A reasonable standard of care, to be exact, should come in play here, and usually depends on the type of situation and the level of responsibility that a person carries on that instance.

Take for example a person driving a car on a busy road. As any average person would, he or she should be driving with the same level of care. To do so, he or she should maintain speed like the other motorists who are with him or her on the road, and should make sound driving decisions such as changing lanes carefully and slowly stopping the vehicle as the traffic in-front of him or her stops.

Another example is a female property owner in-charge of a residential or commercial area. She owed a duty of care to other people who are visiting her property. However, the level of care that she owes them depends on who the visitor is. If she is running a store, the highest duty of care is owed towards her customers. Trespassers, on the other hand, are owed the lowest of duty of care.

The failure to uphold a duty of care towards another person may lead to a lawsuit if there is injury involved. Incidentally, if you were injured because of another person’s negligence, then you should retain a Los Angeles injury attorney to establish a claim and be compensated for your suffered damages.