Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long history of helping people make smart financial decisions. We have maintained this reputation for more than four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in what steps to take next. Car accidents involving pedestrians are all too common. The most recent fatal pedestrian accident was the death of Dwayne Haskins, an NFL quarterback who was hit and killed while crossing a highway in South Florida.
Whether you're walking or driving, it's imperative to be aware of pedestrians in your environment. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for drivers and pedestrians to perform unsafe maneuvers that put them in danger. In New York City, the districts that experience the highest rate of fatal pedestrian-related accidents are Brooklyn and Queens. Both districts have similar rates of pedestrian fatalities.
Pedestrians are the hardest hit in urban cities. Their injuries and deaths are just one aspect of a larger set of road safety issues. South Carolina's pedestrian mortality rate of 3.11 is 1.22 or 64.6% higher than the national pedestrian mortality rate and 101% higher than the national median. When and where most pedestrian accidents occur is in cities, on streets outside intersections, and at night.
Several states are helping to prevent accidents by taking engineering measures, increasing pedestrian signage, education, and law enforcement. Its pedestrian mortality rate is 1.02 or 54% above the national pedestrian mortality rate and 87.7% above the median for all states. For example, if a pedestrian crosses a street when they're not supposed to, the driver could suddenly swerve or brake, leading to an accident. Texas pedestrian mortality rate is 0.33 or 18.5% higher than the national pedestrian mortality rate of 1.89. Approximately 300 pedestrians die and 15,000 are injured by motor vehicles each year on state highways, and more than 3,000 pedestrians are admitted to the hospital annually.
Pedestrians can also prevent accidents by wearing a flashlight and wearing reflective clothing during the night. Data analysis and studies have shown that drivers and pedestrians are at fault for fatal accidents and injuries in the United States. Pedestrians who have been drinking are at an even greater risk of dying in traffic, accounting for 39 to 60 percent of all pedestrian deaths. The higher the pedestrian and vehicle traffic, the greater the chances that pedestrians and vehicles will meet on the street.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most fatal pedestrian accidents occur at night. One study found that of 176 pedestrian deaths, 86 of them involved pedestrians who had been drinking, almost all of whom had a BAC of 0.10 percent or more. Consequently, pedestrians often exceed sidewalk capacity, encouraging pedestrian use of streets and making Data from cities, Baltimore and Washington, District of Columbia showed that 50 percent of pedestrians were at fault and 39 percent of drivers were at fault for accidents.
