When compared with a motor vehicle, the human body is a very fragile thing. Crashes that leave a person with permanent injuries or kills them may not even dent the hood of the vehicle that strikes the person.
Staying safe as a pedestrian means that you have to be very careful about the decisions you make. Crossing busy roads in places where you will be highly visible is wise, as is monitoring traffic carefully and waiting for a safe time to cross the street.
You may also want to consider how fast vehicles travel in the area. You may want to change your route, if possible, to avoid areas with higher speed limits. After all, higher speeds have a direct correlation with a greater risk of death in a pedestrian crash.
The faster the traffic, the higher the risk of a pedestrian death
Although you might think that most people struck by a car will die, quite a few survive. The chances that a victim will survive a collision may largely depend on the speed of the vehicle involved.
At 16 miles per hour (mph), 90% of pedestrians will survive a crash. When speeds go up to 31 mph, that survival rate drops to 50%. When a vehicle hits someone while traveling at 58 mph, 90% of pedestrians struck by a vehicle will die. Avoiding walking on roads with speed limits over 25 miles an hour might help you when at your injuries if you do get into a crash. Unfortunately, people do still violate the speed limit even in residential areas.
If you were injured by a negligent driver while you were walking somewhere or your loved one was killed in a pedestrian-vehicle accident, you have the right to seek compensation for your losses. That may be the best way to hold the negligent driver accountable.
