What Are Some Causes Of Pedestrian And Bicycle Accidents?
What Are Some Causes of Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents?
Pedestrian and bicycle accidents can happen for several reasons. Distractions, physical impairments, and walking the wrong way are all contributing factors, and all result in injuries and fatalities. Also, collisions at high speeds and evasive maneuvers by drivers are more likely to cause severe injuries and fatalities.
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Pedestrians are killed from distractions, physical impairments, and walking the wrong way
There are a variety of factors that contribute to pedestrian fatalities. Distractions, physical impairments, and walking the incorrect way can all make a pedestrian a target for a vehicle. These factors can result in poor judgment and slower reaction time, and pedestrians are often unaware of their surroundings.
Pedestrians are killed for walking the wrong way
A study published by the Governors Highway Safety Association found that almost a fifth of all pedestrian deaths in the U.S. occur on roads where pedestrians aren’t supposed to walk. Of these, nearly one-fifth occur on freeways. These roads purposely lack sidewalks and other infrastructure for walking, and their design explicitly encourages motorists to drive fast.
High-speed collisions are more likely to result in serious injuries
Although broken bones can happen in any collision, a high-speed collision is significantly more likely to result in serious injuries. These injuries can be life-altering or cause permanent disability. In some cases, severe breaks can result in paralysis, inability to walk or talk, or even death.
Weaving drivers are less likely to be able to make evasive maneuvers
Drivers who weave through traffic are much less likely to see bicyclists and pedestrians and therefore are more likely to cause collisions. This behavior also leads motorists to drift outside of marked traffic lanes and into bicycle lanes and shoulders. This can be particularly dangerous as it can cause drivers to be distracted and therefore fail to make quick evasive maneuvers.
Arterial roads represent a danger to pedestrians
Arterial roads are major thoroughfares that carry high volumes of motorized traffic. While these roads are essential to transportation systems around the world, they can also have adverse effects on public health, including high noise and air pollution. They also pose access challenges to nearby residents and can create significant travel delays. Despite these drawbacks, arterial roads can be designed to minimize their negative effects. By considering multiple goals, they can balance transportation and public health objectives.
Results of Pyyhtia’s [24] survey
In the study, four hundred and twenty-five respondents were randomly chosen from a sample of 7818 residents. Among them, 99 reported having experienced a pedestrian-cyclist collision, while 187 had been the victim of a bicycle accident. In general, older people perceive their safety as poor, and they are reluctant to travel on shared paths. In contrast, younger people estimate their risks of traffic accidents as low.
How to prevent pedestrian and bicycle accidents?
There are several ways to reduce the risk of pedestrian and bicycle accidents. One effective way is to follow the speed limit. Bicyclists should yield to pedestrians when making a turn, and they should give at least three feet when passing stopped vehicles. Additionally, cyclists should avoid distractions like headphones, and they should ride with the flow of traffic and in a straight line.