Broward Injury Lawyer Blog
We’re often talking about the risks of drunk driving. As you know, drunk driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents across the nation. But would you believe that alcohol is also a serious problem in pedestrian accidents nationwide?
According to USA TODAY, more than a third of the pedestrians who were killed in 2011 had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit for driving.
Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand that there were close to 2,000 pedestrians killed in the U.S. in 2011 who were legally drunk at the time of the accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it’s pedestrians between the ages of 25- and 34-years-old who are most likely to be involved in these kinds of situations. As a matter of fact, close to 650 pedestrians of this young age group who were killed in 2011 were under the influence of alcohol at the time of their accident.
In comparison, less than 15 percent of drivers who were involved in fatal pedestrian accidents were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
This newly-released information has prompted Anthony Foxx, the new U.S. Transportation Secretary, to kick off an effort to help combat fatal pedestrian accidents. In 2011, there were close to 4,500 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents across the nation. That’s about a 3 percent increase from the previous year.
Jonathan Adkins with the Governors Highway Safety Association says that drunk driving campaigns may have actually exacerbated the problem. Oftentimes anti-drunk driving campaigns focus on staying out from behind the wheel when and after consuming alcohol, giving drinkers the idea that it’s better to just walk home. But we’re seeing clearly that this isn’t the case.
The truth of the matter is that alcohol can impair a person’s judgment and can cause them to make poor decisions, whether they’re behind the wheel or on foot. When walking, those decisions can include trying to beat traffic across the road, crossing when a light does not permit and crossing the road at the wrong place.
Currently, there isn’t any information on a rise in the number of alcohol-related bicyclist deaths, but there has been a number of discussions on the matter since bicycling has become an increasingly popular form of transportation across the country. This is especially a problem in the state of Florida, where cycling has become so popular.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact Richard Ansara at 954 761-3641 or toll-free at 877-277-3780 for a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
More Blog Entries:
South Florida Pedestrian E.R. Visits on the Rise, Broward Injury Lawyer Blog, July 24, 2013
Pedestrian Safety: Hanging Up and Avoiding Dangerous Drivers, Broward Injury Lawyer Blog, July 15, 2013
