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Accidents involving disabled vehicles have increased the number of pedestrian deaths in the United States. If you have suffered an injury in a motor vehicle accident involving a disabled vehicle, contact an established law firm to schedule a free initial consultation. Call our legal team at (888) 488-1391 to learn more about how we can help you. We have decades of experience representing injured victims and have helped clients pursue settlements that reflect the extent of their losses after an accident.
Disabled Vehicle Accidents Are Surprisingly Common
Approximately 550 people died, and 14,000 suffered bodily injuries, in disabled automobile collisions each year from 2016 to 2018. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analyzed the data that produced these findings. One primary factor that contributes to disabled vehicle crashes is low visibility.
The majority of victims who suffered injury or death in disabled vehicle accidents were individuals who were returning to, leaving, or repairing disabled automobiles. An estimated three hundred individuals die every year due to disabled automobile accidents. The total number of fatalities has increased by about twenty-five percent since 2014.
Additionally, pedestrians accounted for all severe injuries caused by disabled automobile accidents. Pedestrians are also more likely to be involved in fatal crashes in the United States. The one-year period from 2019 to 2020 accounted for the largest increase in pedestrian fatalities. Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, a project coordinated by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), collected data related to increasing pedestrian fatalities.
Approximately 6,700 pedestrians were killed in accidents in the United States in 2020. The total represents a 4.8 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities compared to the total number from 2019.
Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting pandemic, total automobile miles traveled fell by 13 percent in 2020. The number of pedestrian fatalities remained high even though individuals traveled less and were inside their houses for most of the year.
Fatalities
Motor vehicle collisions account for 1.2 million fatalities each year. Approximately twenty to fifty million individuals retain serious bodily injuries that often cause permanent or temporary disability. Countries, family units, and family members also suffer economically due to motor vehicle accidents. Medical treatment is expensive, making it a contributing factor to a victim’s economic damages.
Additionally, individuals who do not die due to their injuries may need to miss work or school, which could have economic consequences for the surrounding community. Family members might have to work less to care for an injured or disabled family member. Many developed countries lose three percent of their gross domestic product due to motor vehicle accidents.
During the previous year, pedestrian fatalities increased by twenty-one percent from the year before. Pedestrian deaths increased from 1.9 fatalities per billion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to 2.3 pedestrian fatalities per billion VMT. This change is the highest known increase to date.
Our team at Arash Law has experience representing clients who suffered serious bodily injury or those whose loved ones died in disabled vehicle accidents. Call us at (888) 488-1391 to learn more about your case. We serve clients in San Francisco, Riverside, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sherman Oaks, and throughout California.
In nations with high incomes and high GDPs, like the U.S., individuals from low- and middle-income economic areas have a greater chance of being in a motor vehicle collision.
Pedestrian fatality rates had also been rising before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a GHSA report, pedestrian fatalities increased 77 percent between 2010 and 2022, while other traffic fatalities increased 22 percent during the same period.
Pedestrian deaths are increasing at unprecedented rates throughout the United States. The one-year period from 2019 to 2020 witnessed the highest increase in pedestrian deaths ever documented. The GHSA released Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State in May. The report documents the increasing number of pedestrian fatalities.
Injuries
According to accident researchers, many individuals who suffer bodily injury or die in disabled automobile accidents are pedestrians who are returning to, leaving, or repairing a disabled automobile. Low-visibility automobile accidents cause three hundred deaths per year. These statistics account for a twenty-seven percent increase from 2014. Additionally, pedestrians accounted for approximately 20 percent of all serious bodily injuries in disabled automobile accidents.
Insurify Insights released the report. Researchers assessed four million insurance applications to determine the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians. The research team permitted automobile-to-automobile technology, which alerts drivers to disabled vehicles.
The researchers suggested using enhanced hazard light signals and recommended that individual states consider improving Move Over laws and traffic control tools.
Disabled automobile accidents suggest that manufacturers should include vehicle warning signals with driver navigation software and automated driving programs. Headlights are also an effective tool that could reduce the total number of motor vehicle collisions.
If you have suffered an injury in a disabled automobile accident, contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer to schedule a free initial consultation. The attorneys at our injury firm have experience representing injured clients throughout the State of California. Call our legal team at (888) 488-1391 to schedule your free case evaluation with a California personal injury attorney.
Key Facts
- Nearly 1.3 million individuals die in automobile collisions every year.
- One goal of the United Nations is to reduce the total injuries and deaths caused by traffic collisions.
- Nations forfeit approximately three percent of their gross domestic product due to costs associated with motor vehicle collisions.
- More than fifty percent of motor vehicle accident fatalities involve motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Age
The primary contributor to fatalities of young people aged five to twenty-nine is motor vehicle collisions.
Sex
Members of the male sex are more likely to be involved in motor vehicle collisions. Approximately one-third of all vehicle collision fatality victims are young men younger than twenty-five years of age, who are nearly three times more likely to die than females during a traffic collision.
Risk Factors
The Safe System Approach: Accommodating Human Error
A Safe System strategy to improve vehicle safety works to establish a reliable transportation system for all travelers. The Safe System strategy considers the inherent vulnerability of particular people and their likelihood of being injured in a motor vehicle accident. The safety of roads is paramount to an approach that prioritizes motorist, passenger, and pedestrian safety. Safe roadsides, safe speeds, and safe vehicles are all essential components. These important elements can be improved to reduce motor vehicle accidents.
Speeding
The chances of an accident increase the faster a vehicle travels. In addition, as a general rule, more speed increases the risk of serious injuries. A one percent rise in overall vehicle speed creates a four percent increase in the likelihood that a fatality will result from a motor vehicle accident.
Drivers who operate their motor vehicles at high rates of speed are at a higher risk of causing the death of a pedestrian. The risk of death for passengers is eighty-five percent when the automobile travels at sixty miles per hour.
Additionally, drivers who operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol are at higher risk of causing a motor vehicle collision that results in serious bodily injury or death. A high blood alcohol concentration can increase the risk of a motor vehicle accident. If the driver has a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 g/dl, then the risk of an automobile accident is even higher.
Drugged driving is also a dangerous activity that increases the likelihood of a motor vehicle collision occurring. The specific drug the driver is using can affect the probability of an accident. Drivers who operate motor vehicles while using amphetamines are five times more likely to cause a motor vehicle collision.
Non-Use Of Child Restraints, Seatbelts, And Motorcycle Helmets
Cyclists and motorcyclists who wear protective headgear are forty-two percent less likely to suffer a fatal injury during an accident and sixty-nine percent less likely to suffer head injuries during an accident. Also, drivers who wear a seat belt can reduce the risk of death to passengers and drivers by fifty percent. Seat belts also reduce the risk of death to backseat passengers by twenty-five percent. Child restraints can reduce motor vehicle accident infant deaths by sixty percent.
Contact an established California law firm for a free initial consultation if you suffered injuries during a motor vehicle accident. The attorneys at our law firm have decades of collective experience representing injured clients. Call (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free case evaluation with a California personal injury attorney.
Distracted Driving
One can become distracted while driving for many different reasons. Cell phones cause many drivers to look away from the road and ignore their surroundings while driving. Avoiding cell phone use is essential for optimal road safety.
Motor vehicle operators who drive while using cell phones have a four times greater chance of being involved in a vehicle accident than operators who do not use a cell phone while driving. Drivers experience reduced reaction times when using a cell phone while driving. Using a cell phone while driving can make it difficult to stay in your lane, react to traffic signs and signals, and keep a safe distance between vehicles.
The use of hands-free phones is also dangerous. Texting while driving is inherently dangerous and causes many motor vehicle collisions every year. Contact our California law firm at (888) 488-1391 to schedule a free initial consultation with a personal injury attorney.
Unsafe Road Infrastructure
Improper road design can make road travel more dangerous. Every road should be designed to protect drivers and incorporate multiple drivers at many different angles. Roads should have enough space to accommodate lanes for motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Several elements can reduce the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents. These elements include traffic calming devices, safe crossing sections, cycling lanes, and footpaths.
Inadequate Post-Crash Care
Individuals who suffer injuries during motor vehicle collisions must receive adequate care. If immediate care is not provided to injured individuals, then their injuries may become more severe over time. Medical providers must provide adequate care after an individual suffers an injury in a motor vehicle accident. If care is delayed by a few minutes, victims may develop complications that lead to fatalities. Adequate care encompasses immediate access to prehospital care. Additionally, hospital care can be improved through medical specialist programs.
Inadequate Enforcement Of Traffic Laws
Traffic laws are designed to keep drivers safe on the roads. If traffic laws regarding child restraints, protective headgear, speed limits, seat belts, and drunk driving are unenforced, then motor vehicle accident fatalities could rise. Law enforcement officers must enforce traffic laws so drivers will understand how serious traffic safety is and not violate traffic safety regulations. Driver behavior can be changed, and law enforcement officers can do their part to make drivers more cautious when they are driving.
Law enforcement officers must not only enforce traffic safety laws but also update them and establish protocols for determining how driver behavior changes over time. Traffic laws must also be enforced at local, municipal, state, and national levels so the risk of serious bodily injury and death can be reduced. Penalties must also be enforced to make sure drivers conform their behavior to the requirements of the law.
What Can Be Done To Address Road Traffic Injuries?
Serious bodily injuries and fatalities caused by traffic collisions can be reduced. Road safety must be assessed holistically and with the safety of road traffic in mind. Many sectors of society must contribute to overall road safety, including educators, healthcare workers, police officers, and transportation officers.
Designing and implementing new safety protocols regarding traffic safety will take time and energy. Transport planning and land use planning should also be incorporated into traffic safety design. Vehicles should be tested and made safer for drivers and passengers who are involved in traffic collisions. Local ordinances should focus on organizing after-care for victims, including enforcing laws that reduce key risks and make the public more aware of the extreme dangers associated with motor vehicle collisions.
Contact Our Firm For A Free Initial Consultation With A California Car Accident Lawyer
If you’re injured in a disabled car crash caused by someone else, you may have legal options. Contact Arash Law to schedule a free initial consultation during which we can discuss the facts of your case. The attorneys at our law firm have decades of experience representing clients in personal injury actions, helping them pursue compensation for their losses.
We serve clients in San Francisco, Riverside, Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sherman Oaks, and throughout the state of California.
The attorneys at Arash Law understand how challenging it can be to decide what to do after a serious motor vehicle accident. If you or your loved ones suffered personal injury during a motor vehicle accident, our car accident lawyers are here to review your case and, if you have a valid claim, help you pursue financial compensation. Call us at (888) 488-1391 or send us an email to schedule a consultation.
