Pedestrian Fatalities Continue To Climb

In 2017, roughly 6,000 pedestrians died in automobile crashes, a figure that is up about 9% from the two previous years, according to a recent article in USA Today. A primary reason for the upswing in these fatalities is attributable to distractions, both inside and outside of the vehicle. Experts quoted in the article link the proliferation of technology, such as touch screens and smartphones, with increased distracted walking and driving, which in turn results in more pedestrian crashes and deaths. Alabama is one of 46 states to have a direct law prohibiting texting while driving, but do lawmakers need to consider a prohibition on texting while walking? According to the article, distracted pedestrians are just as much to blame for the crashes as drivers are. The small city of Montclair, California passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of a cell phone or headphones while crossing the street. Honolulu, Hawaii has a similar ordinance in place for pedestrians as well. You can find a lot of other useful and interesting information on distracted pedestrians from our previous blog piece, here and general information on pedestrian accidents.