As a skilled lawyer, like an auto accident lawyer Denver CO residents recommend, may know, California and Georgia have recently seen spikes in deadly auto-pedestrian accidents, with two cities in the crosshairs in particular.
CBS Sacramento reports that the City of Sacramento, California, is taking steps to reduce pedestrian fatalities after seeing a rise in associated deaths. This city normally sees about 10 pedestrian accident deaths each year, there were 19 last year, and there are widespread concerns that this upward trend will continue throughout 2018.
Because of this increase in deaths, the local police department has launched a “Wait for the Walk” initiative to encourage pedestrians to obey the crosswalk signals and timers. Although these signals are not guaranteed to prevent pedestrian accidents entirely, they may help avoid some fatalities, as drivers do not always pay enough attention to crosswalks and instead focus on the traffic light color. The Sacramento police have been also doing outreach, handing out informational flyers to pedestrians in areas with higher accident rates. The city, which aims to have no fatal accidents on its streets at all by the year 2027, is also planning to install some new crosswalk signals to help improve the safety of pedestrians.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, the City of Augusta has also seen an alarming increase in fatal auto-pedestrian accidents, as detailed by WRDW 12 News. In 2015, according to the local sheriff’s office, Augusta had just one pedestrian death in an accident in 2016. Over the course of 2017, however, the city logged an astounding 83 accidents involving pedestrians, 13 of which were fatal.
Many of these accidents happened somewhere in the southern part of city, and some involved alcohol. Unfortunately, concentrating on one spot in particular to reduce the deaths is not an option, according to Richmond County Sergeant Mark Chestang. He says the accidents are spread out over the south part of the city, making assigning traffic division officers to a singular location ineffective. The sheriff’s office is also encouraging pedestrians to use crosswalks more often as that will increase their chances of crossing a street safely. They have been issuing warnings to help educate more pedestrians and drivers on safety. Chestang said most of the accidents took place after 6pm, and he believes that more lights on the street could help.
Auto-pedestrian accidents continue to be a problem throughout the country, and the increase in distracted drivers on the road has not helped. Despite all the educational campaigns created and held by state and local transportation and law enforcement departments around the US, drivers continue to use electronic devices or engage in other distracted driving behaviors while on the road. When a car meets a pedestrian, the consequences for the pedestrian are often very severe because of the difference in protection, speed and weight between a person and a vehicle.
If you have been injured in an auto-pedestrian accident, you have rights, and you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering and losses. Speak to an experienced auto-pedestrian accident attorney about your case as soon as you can.
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