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Pedestrian Accidents: Causes and Safety Tips

On behalf of Veron Bice, LLC on Thursday, June 14, 2018.

As a pedestrian, it’s not always easy to keep your eyes on everything happening around you. For example, if you’re walking in a busy city, vehicles, bicyclists and other pedestrians can easily distract you. Pedestrian-vehicle accidents almost always result in serious injuries, so they are to be avoided at all costs.

Understanding the most common causes of these accidents is a good place to start. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Distracted driving. This is when drivers pay attention to something beside the road and what’s going on around them. Common distractions include texting, turning around to talk to someone in the back seat and adjusting radio controls.
  • Drowsy driving. Any time motorists are too tired to drive, there’s a greater chance that they will cause accidents.
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This type of impairment makes it difficult for drivers to make sound decisions, thus increasing the risk of striking pedestrians.
  • Reckless driving. There are many forms of reckless driving, e.g., speeding and disobeying traffic signs or signals.
  • Disregarding traffic conditions. For example, drivers need to make changes to their driving methods during rush hour.
  • Disregarding weather conditions. In inclement weather, drivers should slow down and leave more space between their vehicles and others on the road.

As a pedestrian, there are some safety tips you can follow to avoid accidents:

  • Avoid distractions yourself, such as reading a text message when walking
  • Use marked crosswalks to get from one side of the road to the other
  • Never dart into traffic
  • Don’t ignore “don’t walk” signals at intersections

These are all common-sense tips, but it’s easy to overlook them. If you are ever involved in a pedestrian-vehicle accident, you need to receive immediate medical attention. The sooner you get treated, the easier it is to prevent long-term injuries.

Once you have begun recovering from your injuries, revisit the circumstances of the accident to learn more about the cause. This will help you better understand your legal rights and the next steps to take. It’s also important to understand that there are time constraints involved with filing claims for damages and personal injury lawsuits.

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