A surge in reckless driving on the nation’s roadways is causing the number of pedestrian accident fatalities to rise across the United States, according to a report by The New York Times. The article states that two years into the coronavirus pandemic, pedestrian fatalities are “soaring into record territory” amid a nationwide trend of an increase in reckless driving. Officials in various states are citing factors from the rise in anxiety levels and pandemic drinking to the fraying of social norms.
Jump in Pedestrian Fatalities
The pedestrian death toll rose in many parts of the country. New Jersey, for
example, had the highest number of pedestrian fatalities — the most in three decades — in 2021. Last year was also the deadliest on Utah’s roads since the start of the century with pedestrian deaths rising 22%. Also Washington State ended 2021 with a 15-year high in traffic fatalities. In Texas, pedestrian deaths in 2021 climbed to a record high.
These numbers contradict what traffic safety experts expected when the pandemic began. Because many motorists were staying home and the streets were emptying out, they believed traffic accident fatalities including pedestrian deaths would decline. But, the opposite happened.
Mental health experts believe the fears stoked by the virus allowed people to let their guard down during driving. Another factor, they say, is “social disengagement,” where people were deprived of social contact, support and comfort. A combination of these two psychological factors may have manifested in the kind of reckless driving we’ve seen over the last two years, experts say.
Holding Reckless Drivers Accountable
Regardless of what caused such recklessness, the consequences have been devastating for pedestrians. More than 6,700 pedestrians were killed in traffic collisions in 2020 — up by about 5% from the estimated 6,412 the year before, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
The group estimated that the pedestrian fatality rate (based on vehicle miles traveled) spiked about 21% in 2020 as deaths rose despite fewer vehicles on the streets. Preliminary data from 2021 indicates yet another increase in the number of pedestrian deaths. The GHSA also reports that crashes killing pedestrians climbed 46% over the last decade compared with a 5% increase for all other types of crashes.
Experts say another reason such pedestrian accidents are surging amid reckless driving is because aggressive drivers rarely get caught or punished. The number of pedestrian accidents spiked in New York City as well. In 2021, New York City saw the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2013, when 279 people were killed by vehicles.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident or bicycle accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Pedestrian accident victims and their families should also remember that they can seek compensation for injuries or losses in collisions even if the victim was not walking in a marked crosswalk and even if the driver involved in collision was not charged. Our law firm recovered the full one million dollar insurance policy for a girl who was not in the crosswalk when a motor vehicle hit her.
For over 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole.
We also obtained $295,000 in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens in the path of a bicyclist). Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/us/pedestrian-deaths-pandemic.html