Despite Mayor De Blasio’s efforts in recent years to increase pedestrian safety in New York City, pedestrian involved accidents are still on the rise. This is especially astonishing considering the fact that overall, car accidents in NYC are decreasing. The number of pedestrian accidents in recent years has been increasing in recent years despite the steady decrease in car accidents!
NYC has attempted to deal with the problem of pedestrian accidents by adding many bike lanes and pedestrian plazas, but to no avail. The question remains, how do we make New York’s streets safer for pedestrians?
Pedestrian Safety Statistics According to NYPD Data
New York Police Department (NYPD) data reveals that there were over 15,000 pedestrians and bicyclists injured in NYC in 2012 including 155 fatal accidents. National trends seem to confirm the increase in pedestrian fatal accidents with increases in fatalities among pedestrian accidents every year from 2009 to 2011.
Why are More Pedestrian Accidents Occurring despite Safety Measures Being Induced?
As previously indicated, NYC has been taking steps to make our streets safer for pedestrians so why is it that more pedestrian accidents are still occurring?
Distracted Walking: Talking on a cell phone, texting, listening to headphones, browsing the web and even playing videogames while walking are major causes of distracted walking. In 2012, distracted walking was the cause of at least 1,100 pedestrian accidents in the US. It is often difficult for pedestrians who are distracted to observe changes in traffic signal, foot traffic or other things that can cause dangerous situations.
Distracted Driving: Similar to distracted walking, distracted driving causes careless mistakes that can lead to accidents. More and more, drivers are texting, using GPS and speaking on the phone while driving which may cause them to not see a crossing pedestrian.
Improving Pedestrian Safety in NYC: It’s a Group Effort
Most pedestrian accidents are preventable but to successfully prevent them, multiple groups must make concerted efforts to improve pedestrian safety. New York must continue to do what it can to make roads and intersections safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, drivers must respect pedestrians right away and be aware of their surroundings. Lastly, pedestrians need to observe nearby drivers and know what is going on in the streets that they are crossing, a task made more difficult if they are drunk or distracted.
The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny has over a combined century of experience in dealing with personal injury lawsuits and has achieved over nine figures in verdicts and settlements, proving their success rate in the courtroom. Contact the Law Office of Richard M. Kenny today to figure out your next steps and speak with an attorney who cares.
