Roadway Deaths Continue to Grow; Pedestrian Fatalities Reach Highest Level in 40 Years

In order to combat roadway deaths and serious injuries, the Department of Transportation is allocating $5 billion to regional, local and state governments through a grant called the Safe Streets and Roads for All. Officials will use the money to improve roadway safety, which has been a major obstacle in maintaining public health for decades and has only worsened in recent years.

Statistics on Accidents Involving Pedestrians

According recent data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, or GHSA, the number of pedestrians that were struck and killed by motor vehicles in 2021 was higher than any other single year in the last 4 decades. The agency’s report states that drivers struck and killed 7,485 pedestrians that year. Another particularly troubling finding from the GHSA’s report was that the percentage of speed-related deaths in pedestrians 15 or younger has more than doubled since 2018. The agency identified several factors that contribute to roadway deaths, including:

• More sport utility vehicles (SUV) are on the road. Because of their size and weight, SUVs are more likely to cause catastrophic injury in a collision
• An increase in reckless driving behaviors like speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, aggressive driving, distracted driving, and driving while fatigued
• The pressing need for safer road crossings and to make pedestrians more visible by installing better lighting and other safety strategies

Roughly one pedestrian dies every 20 minutes. From 2010 to 2020, pedestrian deaths increased by 54%. All other traffic deaths, like automobile crashes, increased by 13%. At this rate, pedestrian deaths are the fastest growing subset of roadway fatalities and are higher in the United States than in nearly all other developed countries.

Motor Vehicle Accidents: What the Numbers Show

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, almost 39,000 people lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents, which was 7% higher than the year before. In 2021, the number grew yet again with nearly 43,000 people perishing in deadly crashes. By no means are pedestrian fatalities the only glaring roadway safety issue that our country needs to address; bicycle fatalities have also skyrocketed, growing by 44% since 2010. Sadly, the data indicates how our nation’s roads are rapidly becoming less and less safe for drivers, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians alike.

According to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), these deaths are entirely preventable – especially when we take a closer look at what is happening in the U.S. as compared to other developed countries around the globe, where significantly fewer traffic-related fatalities occur. USDOT says that we need to come together as a whole to come up with new policies, make different kinds of investments (like the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant), and make different choices, particularly when it comes to participating in reckless and irresponsible driving behaviors like speeding, DUIs, distraction, and more. Funding is a major component of improving roadway safety. Without the money to funnel into making roads safer, accidents will continue to happen.

Motor Vehicle Accidents: Common Injuries

Whether you are the driver of a vehicle, a passenger, a pedestrian, a bicyclist or a motorcyclist, the injuries that someone sustains in an accident can be catastrophic. Here are some examples of injuries that people commonly sustain in collisions that involve motor vehicles:

• Whiplash
• Broken bones and fractures
• Spinal cord injuries and/or paralysis
• Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs
• Burns
• Back injuries
• Internal injuries
• Limb loss and/or amputation
• Disfiguring facial injuries and scars
• Knee injuries
• Lacerations, bruises, and “road rash”
• Crush injuries
• Soft tissue injuries
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD

Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists are especially susceptible to sustaining major bodily injury because they lack the physical protection that an enclosed vehicle affords to its occupants.

What to Do if You Were in an Accident

If you were injured in an accident involving an automobile, someone at our firm can help. The attorneys at Galfand Berger have staunchly represented car accident victims for over seven decades. Here are some of our past cases:

• Our client was left paralyzed after suffering injuries in a major car accident. We pursued this case against the driver who hit our client head on in addition to the automobile manufacturer for defective seat belts and crash-worthiness of the vehicle. We recovered $4,500,000.00 for our client.
• Our client was struck by a tractor-trailer on an inter-state highway. He suffered severe injuries that resulted in a amputation of his legs below the knee. Our attorneys were able to recover $3,000,000.00 for our client.

If you would like to speak to someone about filing a legal claim for injuries you sustained, someone on our team can help. Contact a representative online now.

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

If you have questions about filing a claim for injuries you sustained, contact the 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.