It appears that Texas may not be as safe of a place for pedestrians as one would hope.
Sadly, numerous pedestrians lose their lives on Texas roads every year. In 2013, 485 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle accidents in Texas. Over the 10-year period beginning in 2003 and ending in 2012, around 4,200 pedestrian fatalities occurred in the state. This makes up about one-tenth of all pedestrian deaths nationwide over that period.
Recently, the National Complete Streets Coalition of Smart Growth America issued a report which compared the states when it comes to pedestrian safety. In the report, each state was given a certain score on an index called the Pedestrian Danger Index. Among the things this index takes into account are pedestrian fatality rates.
The report gave Texas the 10th highest Pedestrian Danger Index score of the states. Thus, it appears that Texas is one of the more dangerous states for pedestrians.
There are many things that can make a given area dangerous for pedestrians. One is when drivers fail to watch for pedestrians and drive carelessly when out on the roads. Another is when roads and the areas around them are designed in a way that could compromise pedestrian safety.
What do you think is behind Texas’ poor showing in the above-mentioned report? What do you think Texas could do to turn the corner when it comes to pedestrian safety?
Personal injury attorneys can help pedestrians who have been hurt out on Texas’ roads with the process of figuring out how exactly their accident occurred and can help them with the pursuit of any legal claims that are available to them in relation to the accident.
Source: The Texas Tribune, “Texas Gets Poor Marks on Pedestrian Safety,” Cathaleen Qiao Chen, May 20, 2014
