“Death by Design” How America’s Cars Are Deadly to Pedestrians

Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are on a steep incline in large part due to two key factors: vehicles becoming much bigger and heavier (with terrible visibility), and more and more people living in areas with more dangerous roads. In 2022, more than 7,500 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roads, reflecting the highest rate in the last 40 years. And while it is tempting to treat these tragedies on an individual, case-by-case basis, in fact, they are part of a larger general problem that is placing people in danger.

Specifically, there are repetitive patterns that are alarming, whereby the same accident will repeat itself in the same location, over and over again – the same path, different driver doing the same thing, same mechanism of harm, and new victim; All of these tragedies reported as “just an accident,” and therefore, the bigger picture always missed.

More Than Just Negligent Driving at Play

This is where there is often a bigger picture with more players involved rather than just one negligent driver: For example, when attorneys for the victims take a closer look at some of these scenes, they see, for example, a path that looks like an adjacent road, but isn’t; a road with a double yellow line running down the middle that fails to prevent a full-sized car or truck from turning right onto it and instantly hitting a pedestrian. As a result, sometimes there is also a potential claim against a city for failing to take basic actions to prevent harm.

Failure of Free Market & Regulators

Shockingly, the safety ratings put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration do not reflect safety ratings for those outside of the vehicle in any way; therefore, driving a tank with a five-star safety rating can actually be downright lethal to a pedestrian. For example, while we may think that having more and more electric vehicles on the road might help to solve the problem, in fact, experts expect the exact opposite given how much bigger and heavier these vehicles are due to the size and weight of their batteries.

If You’ve Experienced A Pedestrian Accident, Contact Our Las Vegas Accident Attorneys

Sadly, Nevada has consistently come in the top 10 deadliest states for pedestrians, repeatedly, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; sometimes even ranking as high as fourth or fifth during some years. A pedestrian getting hit by a car, today, can have absolutely devastating consequences.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a negligent driver and/or other circumstances, contact the Las Vegas pedestrian accident lawyers of Cameron Law today for a free consultation and find out more about your options.

Source:

slate.com/technology/2023/07/pedestrian-deaths-road-safety-traffic-accidents.html