Local News: Philly Traffic Deaths Jump Despite Fewer Cars on the Road

A recent Vision Zero report confirmed that last year, the city of Philadelphia saw an 88% increase in traffic deaths despite there being a near 20% total decrease in traffic volume on local roadways. Created in 2016, Philadelphia’s Vision Zero program aims to eliminate traffic fatalities involving motor vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists by 2030. Although the city has made some improvements concerning roadway safety, the numbers show just how much more work remains in order to keep residents safe.

In 2019, 83 Philadelphians lost their lives in crashes involving motor vehicles. Just one year later, that number rose to 156. Since 2016, the Vision Zero program has taken several action steps to reduce accident rates. These steps include installing speed cushions and speed cameras on heavily trafficked corridors, upgrading city vehicles with cameras and cross over mirrors, and launching neighborhood slow zone programs in certain parts of the city. However, even with these programs in place, serious and deadly accidents continue to occur.

Vision Zero’s Plan

In light of the growing public health concern, the city created the Vision Zero Action Plan 2025. This plan involves what the city hails as four “high-impact initiatives”, which are:

• Passing the Curb Bill to enhance safe street design
• Adopting Vision Zero ordinance
• Expanding automated speed enforcement efforts
• Setting municipal speed limits

Enforcing speed limits and targeting aggressive drivers are some of the city’s top priorities when it comes to curbing accident rates; Vision Zero identified these unsafe driving behaviors as primary causes behind 42% of the fatal crashes that occurred last year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), other dangerous driving behaviors that contribute to serious and deadly accidents include drowsy driving, driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, distracted driving and not wearing a seat belt.

Common Car Accident Injuries

Although the city’s Vision Zero plan may seem like it has not made a significant impact on traffic fatality rates, some things have changed for the better. The number of speed-related tickets in certain areas where the program installed speed cameras, for example, have gone down. The program’s goal is not to eliminate traffic accidents altogether, but to provide effective safeguards that reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes from happening in the first place. Even when an accident is not deadly, many individuals still experience catastrophic and life-changing injuries. Some examples of injuries that car accident victims frequently sustain include:

• Whiplash
• Traumatic brain injuries or TBIs
• Bruising and contusions
• Neck and back injuries
• Concussions
• PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder
• Internal bleeding
• Broken bones

What Should I Do if I Was in a Car Accident?

If you get into a car accident, there are some important steps that you should take. If there is a chance that anyone was injured, call 9-1-1 for assistance. While you are waiting for the police to arrive, you should record the license plate numbers of the vehicles that were involved in the incident and get the names, addresses, and phone numbers of drivers and witnesses. If possible, take pictures of the vehicles involved and the area where the incident took place. Even if you do not think you were injured in the accident, seek medical treatment. It is also important to remember that the actions you take at the scene of the accident can have a lasting impact on your insurance claim.

Depending on the circumstances that surround an auto accident and the scope of the victim’s injuries, he or she can seek different types of monetary damages by filing a personal injury claim. Some examples of these damages include current and future medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earning potential, replacement costs (like childcare, housekeeping, and other expenses), and pain and suffering. At Galfand Berger, our attorneys are experienced at representing car accident victims. Here are just a few examples of our firm’s notable auto accident recoveries:

• An auto accident left our client paralyzed. Our Philadelphia car accident lawyers pursued this case not only against the driver who hit our client head-on but also against the auto manufacturer for defective seat belt and crash-worthiness of the vehicle. We recovered $4.5 million dollars for our client.  You can read more about this recovery here.
• The defendant-driver turned in front of our client, causing an accident. Our client was rushed to the hospital and treated for a bruised head. Later, our client began exhibiting memory loss and strange behavior. Doctors determined that our client was suffering from a closed head injury. Our attorneys successfully recovered $1,100,000.00 for our client. To learn more about this case, visit here.

If you were in a car accident and have questions about filing a legal claim for your injuries, someone at our firm can help. To learn more, contact a representative online now.

Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947

If you sustained injuries in a car accident and would like to learn more about filing a claim, please contact our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Galfand Berger LLP today. Call us at 800-222-USWA (8792) or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Allentown and Harrisburg.