Pedestrian Accident Statistics: How Dangerous Is It to Be a Pedestrian? (Pt. 1)

Every 8 minutes, a pedestrian is hurt in a traffic accident; every 2 hours, a pedestrian is killed after being hit by a motor vehicle (according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA). Tragically, pedestrian accidents occur all too frequently in the U.S., and many of them are caused by preventable negligence.

Focusing on the incidence of these types of traffic accidents, this blog series will highlight some interesting and important pedestrian accident statistics, as reported by the NHTSA. These pedestrian accident statistics reflect data from 2013, the most recent year for which complete numbers/information is available.

While the pedestrian accident statistics herein are fascinating, don’t hesitate to contact the trusted St. Louis car and pedestrian accident lawyers at the Brown Law Firm if you need help pursuing compensation and justice after being hurt in a traffic accident.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics: The Big Picture

These pedestrian accident statistics highlight just how often pedestrian accidents – including fatal ones – occur in the U.S.
These pedestrian accident statistics
highlight just how often pedestrian
accidents – including fatal ones –
occur in the U.S.

  • In 2013, 4,735 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents, and about 66,000 were hurt in pedestrian accidents.
  • When compared to the incidence of pedestrian accidents in 2012, there was a slight – 2 percent – decrease.
  • Fatal pedestrian accidents comprised about 14 percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. in 2013.
  • Nonfatal pedestrian accidents only comprised about 3 percent of all nonfatal traffic accidents in the U.S. in 2013.
  • About 92 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents are single-vehicle collisions while about 8 percent of these crashes involve multiple vehicles.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics: Where These Accidents Typically Occur

  • Nearly 3 out of every 4 pedestrian accidents occur in an urban area.
  • Only about 1 in every 5 pedestrian accidents occurs at an intersection. In contrast, nearly 70 percent of pedestrian accidents take place non-intersection locations (and another 10 percent occur in “other” areas, such as parking lots, shoulders, crossing islands, driveways, etc.).
  • For every 1 pedestrian accident that occurs in the daytime, there are nearly 3 others that take place during the evening/when it is dark out.
  • Pedestrian accidents are most likely to occur during weekend evening hours (which also happens to correlate with when there tends to be more intoxicated motorists on the roads).

To get some more fascinating pedestrian accident statistics, be sure to check out the upcoming second part of this blog series – it’ll be published soon.

St. Louis Pedestrian Accident Lawyers at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law

Have you been hit by a car or been injured in any type of traffic accident? If so, contact the St. Louis car and pedestrian accident lawyers at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law for experienced help with your financial recovery. We have a long-standing commitment to serving our clients, and we are experienced at aggressively defending our clients’ rights in any legal setting.

For a free initial consult, email us using the contact form at the right-hand side of the screen and/or call us at 573-333-3333 for our Missouri office or at 618-888-8888 for our Illinois office.

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