Walking is good for the environment and great exercise but when done on a road with auto traffic, may cause serious injury or death. Everyone is a pedestrian whether they drive a car or not. The moment you step out of your car and cross a road by foot, you become a pedestrian. Your children walking home from the bus stop are pedestrians. Therefore pedestrian safety issues concern everyone. If this concerns you directly because you were injured as a pedestrian, it is important to contact a D C accident attorney immediately.
Accidents involving pedestrians typically have one or more of these contributing factors:
Roads are primarily designed for automobiles while pedestrian safety considerations are secondary. You will generally find more pedestrian infrastructure in urban than rural environments. However, even in major metropolitan areas, it is not uncommon to find roads that poorly accommodate the needs of pedestrians. These tend to be arterial roadways designed for speed. They are often multilane with few to no sidewalks and can go on for miles without any pedestrian crosswalks.
Those who must commute on foot because they do not own cars are forced to cross these multilane roads that are often filled with high-speed traffic. This demographic tend to be the very young, the very old, and those with low incomes.
Although urban roads and highways lack sidewalks because they are not cost-effective, many have inadequate and often no shoulders at all for the pedestrian to use. Pedestrians are sometimes forced to walk on the edge of a traffic lane while rounding blind corners and hills.
The motorist behavior that causes accidents with other cars also endanger the pedestrian. These behaviors include distracted driving, intoxication, speeding, and aggressive driving. Motorists are primarily looking out for other cars and often fail to see motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The motorist attempting to pull into a busy street is often so focused on the timing of traffic that they fail to notice the pedestrian crossing the road in front of them.
Pedestrian behavior often contributes to the very accidents that involve them. One common problem today is walking in a distracted state while using a cell phone. Pedestrians busy with their cell phones have been known to walk into pools, walls, glass windows, and in front of traffic. Other behaviors include intoxication, and walking at night without reflective clothing.
When walking for commuting purposes, for exercise, or for other reasons, avoid dangerous roadways and never assume that motorists can see you. In addition, be alert and walk defensively. If you were injured because someone hit you while walking, contact us at the Law Offices of John Critzos, II.
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