This Page Teaches:

1. How Frequent Pedestrians are hit by a car.
2. What are Pedestrian Car Accident Victims like?
3. Who is Driving these Cars and Hitting Pedestrians?
4. Where Are Pedestrian Car Accidents Most Likely?
5. How to Manage a Pedestrian Car Accident Claim.

Kansas City is a driving city. Also, the high number of good weather months mean more people are traveling on foot and by bicycle. Kansas City, as an older Midwestern city, has some antiquated streets and highways, which causes people to walk on the side of the road or to cross in areas without a clear crosswalk. Also, cars break down on the side of the road and a surprising number of people are struck while in this position.

How Common and Costly are Pedestrian Injuries?

The National Institute of Health keeps nationwide statistics on pedestrian and traffic related pedestrian injuries. There are approximately 4,641 pedestrian deaths each year in the United States. There are over 70,000 pedestrian injuries in the United States yearly.

The Demographics of Pedestrian Injuries

Pedestrian injuries affect people of different demographics. They are along the following lines:

• Age
• Gender
• Socio-economic status

The following types of people are more likely to be injured as pedestrians.

• Children
• Elderly
• Lower socio-economic status individuals

A pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 113 minutes. A pedestrian is injured every 8 minutes. (National Institute of Health) Worldwide, 1,200,000 people are killed yearly as pedestrians in auto accidents. 50,000,000 people are injured worldwide as pedestrians in auto accidents. In some countries, nearly 40% of fatalities are this cause.

The Costs in the United States of Pedestrian Injury

Pedestrian injuries from auto accidents costs the United States $230.6 billion dollars per year (National Institute of Health). These are due to the following causes:

• Loss of productivity
• Medical costs
• Litigation costs
• Court costs
• Ambulance service
• Insurance company costs
• Delays in travel
• Property damage
• Employment loss

What makes a Pedestrian Automobile Accident More Likely?

Time of day influences the likelihood of a pedestrian injury. Most pedestrian fatalities in auto accidents occur between 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. This appears to be a mix of the following risk factors:

1. Night time
2. Pedestrians walking on roads
3. Pedestrian alcohol intoxication
4. Driving while intoxicated

Forty (40%) of all pedestrian accidents involve the pedestrian being intoxicated by alcohol. Eight percent (8%) of fatal pedestrian collisions occur as a result of driving while intoxicated.

Rural Versus Urban

There is a breakdown between the type of location of where pedestrian injury occurs. It is as follows:

• Urban/cities = 66%
• Rural areas = 33%

These appear to be caused by the following factors:

1. Speeding
2. Pedestrians lack of attention to traffic patterns
3. Negligent City road plans
4. Crowding of people and vehicles together

Interestingly, urban areas produce more pedestrian injuries but rural areas produce more pedestrian deaths. This appears because of the following risk factors:

1. Higher vehicle speed
2. No sidewalks
3. Large driving times to medical treatment

Pedestrian Injury Resources

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration produces important information on pedestrian injuries and death. Look for the following information sources:

• “everyone is a pedestrian” online resource
• “safety in numbers” newsletter on pedestrian safety
• Department of Transportation tools to keep pedestrians safe
• “advancing pedestrian safety using education and enforcement in pedestrian focused cities and states”