Our Blog
What is the No. 1 cause of pedestrian injuries? If you guessed being hit by a vehicle you’re not alone. That’s the answer many people give but in reality, most pedestrians are injured because of cracked or uneven sidewalks.
Most of the stories that make the news are when pedestrians are hit by vehicles and are killed or injured. It’s not often you read about someone tripping on the sidewalk and getting a concussion or breaking their back even if it results in serious injury or death.
However, 24 percent of pedestrian injuries are due to uneven/cracked sidewalks. Here are the top five causes of injury according to a 2012 national survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
[table]
Tripped on an uneven/cracked sidewalk,24 percent
Tripped/fell,17 percent
Hit by a car,12 percent
Wildlife/pets involved,6 percent
Tripped on stone,5 percent
Stepped in a hole,5 percent
[/table]
Three percent of the people surveyed said they had been injured while walking in the last two years, according to the report.
Some noteworthy trends from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center include:
- 69 percent of pedestrian killed in 2012 were males.
- Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (73 percent).
- Nearly one-third (32 percent) of all pedestrian fatalities occurred between 8:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.
- 46 is the average age of pedestrians killed in 2012, and 35 is the average age of those injured.
- 34 percent of pedestrians killed had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher.
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center offers safety tips for pedestrians to help reduce the number of injuries and fatalities. You can also read last week’s blog post for safety tips.
At Bernardo Injury Law, we have seen first hand how pedestrian injuries and fatalities can impact victims and their families. If we can help you, contact us at (239) 332-3000 or toll free at 888-428-8943, email us at gethelp@injuryinfo.org. You can learn more about pedestrian injuries on our website at injuryinfo.org and see some of our case results.