Whether out for a morning run or walk or simply walking through a parking lot to get into a store, anyone in Kentucky can be a pedestrian at some point in the course of an average day. While this is a normal thing, it sadly is something that puts people at risk of being hit by cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. As more new vehicles are coming equipped with safety features, it seems that these features are not doing enough to protect pedestrians.
As reported by CNBC, data from the Governors Highway Safety Association indicates that pedestrian fatalities have risen by 41% and today account for 16% of all deaths in motor vehicle accidents across the country. In 2018 alone, nearly 6,300 people on foot lost their lives in automobile crashes. That represents an increase of 250 deaths over the prior year.
Several factors may be at play here but two clearly appear to be vehicle size and distracted behavior. Over the last several decades, Americans have grown more and more attached to larger vehicles like SUVs and big pickup trucks. These vehicles make it harder to see pedestrians and also result in pedestrians being hit in their heads or chests rather than in their legs, increasing the severity of their injuries. Distraction among drivers is believed to be another contributor to these accidents.
If you would like to learn more about how to protect yourself or someone you love after an accident has occurred, please feel free to visit the pedestrian’s assistance and compensation page of our Kentucky motor vehicle accident and personal injury website.