New York Tackles Pedestrian Fatalities

October 18, 2012 (Press-News.org) New York Tackles Pedestrian Fatalities

New York's Department of Transportation has been working to improve pedestrian safety throughout the city. Its latest project is the Pedestrian Safety Report and Action Plan, based on an exhaustive study of more than 7,000 serious collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians.

A central part of the new Action Plan is an anti-speeding campaign. Accidents are twice as deadly for pedestrians when the involved motor vehicles are traveling at unsafe speeds. The standard speed limit in New York City is 30 mph, a fact many drivers do not know. The Plan will try out a neighborhood 20 mph zone, testing its safety performance.

The Action Plan also involves re-engineering 60 miles of streets and 20 intersections to improve pedestrian safety. Other widespread infrastructure changes in the plan include upgrading 1,500 intersections with countdown pedestrian signals.

New York Pedestrian Accident Statistics

Previous safety initiatives implemented over the past few years have already had an impact on pedestrian safety, to the point where 2009 was the safest year for New York streets in recorded history. That year saw a 35 percent decline in traffic fatalities compared with 2001.

New Yorkers can be proud that the city's traffic fatality rate is well below national rates and rates for other large metropolitan areas. The New York rate is only about one-fourth the national rate. In addition, the city has a fatality rate of less than half the rate in the next 10 largest cities in the United States.

There is still room for improvement in pedestrian safety, as statistics demonstrate. According to the Action Plan, between 2005 and 2009, 52 percent of traffic fatalities were pedestrians, and in a crash pedestrians are 10 times more likely to die than motor vehicle drivers and passengers. Driver awareness is an issue, as 27 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents involved drivers who failed to yield the right of way, and distracted driving was a factor in 36 percent of crashes that killed or seriously injured a pedestrian.

Hopefully the campaign in New York will save lives and money. At present, the annual cost of traffic accidents to the city's economy is estimated at $4.29 billion. Moreover, the personal costs of traffic accidents can be devastating.

A personal injury attorney can be a valuable ally for a family who has lost a loved one or an individual who has been seriously hurt in a pedestrian accident due to a driver's negligence. If you or a loved one has suffered harm in a pedestrian accident, legal remedies may be available. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options.

Article provided by Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP
Visit us at http://www.nyclawfirm.com/