Pedestrian accidents are some of the scariest types of accidents in Southern California in large part because the victim is not protected and so often suffers catastrophic injury. At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas we have helped many individuals and families deal with the impact of this type of accident.
Today we are going to deal with three of the most common contributing factors to these types of accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident then we welcome you to contact us at 909-982-0707 to request a free legal consultation.
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Speeding
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Alcohol use
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Distraction
According to some studies, speeding is a factor in about 20% of car accidents – and this includes pedestrian accidents. There are a few reasons that speeding is so dangerous. First, it increases the chances of an accident at all because the driver needs much longer to stop than they would if they were traveling more slowly. Second, the faster a car is moving when it hits a person, the more likely the victim is to suffer from catastrophic injuries or even death.
Just how serious is speeding? One study showed that driving just .6 miles over the speed limit increases the chance of accident by 3%. Most speeders go much faster than .6 miles over the limit, so you can imagine how much more likely they are to be in an accident.
Consider as well that if a pedestrian is hit by a car that is traveling 25 mph, their chances of survival are upwards of 65%. If the person who hit them was driving 40 miles an hour their survival rate is just 10%. Further, a victim hit by a car traveling 50 mph is about 20 times more likely to be killed than if the vehicle was traveling 20 mph.
A driver in California is legally obligated to follow all posted speed limits and special limits in school zones, construction areas, and parking lots. If they do not do so and cause an accident, they could potentially be held both criminally and financially responsible.
Throughout the country, an average of 28 people will die each day from drunk driving accidents. This is because alcohol can impair a driver’s ability to react, can impair their judgement, and can diminish their motor skills. Additionally, a pedestrian who is drunk can also be more likely to make poor judgments when crossing the street.
As is true of alcohol use, distraction can apply to both the pedestrian and the driver. If a driver is texting instead of looking at the road, they can easily cause an accident. If a person is texting while crossing the street, they can easily become the victim of an accident – especially as electric cars become more popular and are virtually silent.
These are just three of the common causes of pedestrian accidents. If you have been the victim of a pedestrian accident due to one of these causes or another cause entirely, contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
