October is National Pedestrian Safety Month: Important Statistics for 2022

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month: Important Statistics for 2022

Oct 11, 2022

Each year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) commemorate October as National Pedestrian Safety Month. The focus on pedestrian accident injuries and fatalities is an effort to improve safety and vulnerable road users, according to the government’s website.

Important Information for Pedestrian Safety Month 2022

• Tips for National Pedestrian Safety Month 2022
• 2022 Pedestrian Accident Injury and Fatality Statistics
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Issues Pedestrian Lighting Primer Recommendations
• Can I Recover Financial Compensation for a Pedestrian Accident Injury?

For 2022, National Pedestrian Safety Month is of particular importance given that the number of pedestrian deaths is at a 40-year high, according to a report from Jalopnik.com. As the report notes:

“Rates went up in 2020 and then spiked another 13% last year – a four-decade high of 7,485 pedestrians.”

Let’s take a look at some recommendations from the NHTSA and other government entities that are looking to improve pedestrian safety. We’ll also review the latest statistics on pedestrian accident injuries and deaths for 2022 and provide information on how to file a claim for damages with Dordulian Law Group if you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence.

Tips for National Pedestrian Safety Month 2022

To prevent pedestrian accidents, the NHTSA advises drivers to RETHINK behaviors behind the wheel, specifically noting whether you are:

• Alert and focused?
• Looking out for people walking?
• Obeying all posted signs and speed limits?

National Pedestrian Safety Month 2022 highlights a different aspect of the safe system approach each week:

• Week 1, Safer People: Celebrates the many benefits of walking and how we can encourage more walking by creating a safer system for people who walk or roll.
• Week 2, Safer Speeds & Safer Roads: Recognizes the importance of how motorists driving at safer speeds can save lives and highlights the vital role that safer roads play in reducing fatal crashes and injuries.
• Week 3, Safer Vehicles: Looks at vehicle solutions – vehicles that provide occupant crash protection, and technology can help prevent crashes from occurring in the first place. Technologies like pedestrian automatic emergency braking can help protect those outside of the vehicle. Vehicle standards can also help reduce the severity of injuries. The front ends of vehicles can be designed to reduce the impact of a crash.
• Week 4, Post-Crash Care: Focuses on providing bystander assistance and care to injured pedestrians, which may be critical in treating injuries and saving lives.

In California, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), an organization supporting efforts to improve pedestrian safety by discouraging impaired driving, offers the following tips for 2022:

For pedestrians –

• Be predictable. Use crosswalks.
• Take notice of approaching vehicles and exercise caution. At 30 m.p.h., a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.
• Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk, or at night.
• Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.

For drivers –

• Follow the speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.
• Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.
• Never drive impaired.

According to the ABC, drivers and pedestrians who take the above safety precautions greatly reduce the risk of getting injured or in a crash, including staying off the phone when behind the wheel or walking.

“Californians can do their part in reducing crashes and injuries by slowing down and being mindful of traffic,” ABC Director Eric Hirata said. “We can all look out for one another by keeping pedestrians in mind and following the rules of the road.”

2022 Pedestrian Accident Injury and Fatality Statistics

The following pedestrian accident statistics have been confirmed through the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• In 2020, 6,516 pedestrians were killed in the United States.
• That represents an average of 18 pedestrians killed per a day.
• In 2021, pedestrian fatalities were projected to be up 13% year-to-year (over 2020).
• Black and Native American pedestrians are disproportionately killed in the United States, as compared to white pedestrians.
• People who are American Indian and Alaska Native are almost three times more likely to die walking than the general public average, on a per 100,000 person basis.
• People who are Black or African American are more than 50% more likely to die walking than the general public average, on a per 100,000 person basis.

And as the Jalopnik.com report notes, “…[motor vehicle] deaths are up across the board both inside and outside of vehicles, with the U.S., hitting a 16-year high for overall deaths in 2021.”

Earlier this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the National Roadway Safety Strategy. The nationwide initiative is focused on “working with stakeholders to reduce traffic fatalities” with a strategy that includes initiatives across multiple DOT agencies, including:

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• The Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

“We live in an era when it is safer to fly in an airplane 30,000 feet above the ground than it is to walk down the street,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in January 2022. “This National Pedestrian Safety Month, we must redouble our efforts to address the urgent national crisis on our nation’s roads, and do everything in our power to keep pedestrians safe.”

“No one should die while walking to school, work, the grocery store, or for exercise. Our roads must be safe for everyone, inside and outside a vehicle,” said Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson. “National Pedestrian Safety Month draws attention to the risks people face while walking or rolling and reminds all drivers to watch for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.”

“Safety for all road users is our top priority, and FHWA is working year-round with communities across our country to use a Safe System Approach to design roads that are safe for all users and encourage safe speeds,” added Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack.

“Every transit rider is, at some point, a pedestrian,” Federal Transit Administrator, Nuria Fernandez, said at the time of the initiative announcement by Buttigieg. “To have a truly effective transportation system in our nation, we must ensure that every part of it is safe, from door to destination. National Pedestrian Safety Month allows us to really focus on the solutions that keep more Americans safe when they choose to walk.”

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Issues Pedestrian Lighting Primer Recommendations

In April 2022, the Federal Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a Pedestrian Lighting Primer handbook for cities to follow in an effort to reduce roadway injuries and deaths.

“FMCSA’s mission is roadway safety and to prevent crashes and injuries involving large trucks and buses, including crashes that involve our most vulnerable roadway user, the pedestrian,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “We are an integral part of the National Roadway Safety Strategy and work within the Safe System Approach. We will continue to strive for safer people, safer vehicles, and safer speeds so that all who use our roadways can reach their destinations unharmed.”

As the majority of pedestrian accidents occur at night, the Lighting Primer was issued as a “resource for transportation practitioners installing and improving pedestrian lighting at locations with existing and future pedestrian activity.”

Can I Recover Financial Compensation for a Pedestrian Accident Injury?

Pedestrian accident victims injured due to another’s negligence may be entitled to substantial cash settlements by filing claims with Dordulian Law Group (DLG). Our dedicated team of proven pedestrian accident attorneys is standing by to help you file a claim and recover a maximum financial damages award.

Proving negligence in a California pedestrian accident case requires skill and experience in order to secure the maximum financial compensation you truly deserve. Fighting to recover intangible and hard to quantify damages such as pain and suffering or emotional trauma can be challenging, and that’s where DLG’s experienced pedestrian accident lawyers are able to demonstrate their dedication, skill, and commitment to all clients.

We have the proven results you need for peace of mind throughout every step of the pedestrian accident claims process. We won’t settle for anything less than a maximum financial damages payout for your pedestrian accident injury lawsuit.

Depending on the circumstances of your case, our Los Angeles, California, pedestrian accident lawyers will fight to recover all applicable damages within your claim:

• Medical expenses
• Emergency department treatment
• Physical therapy costs
• Rehabilitation costs
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Reduced quality of life
• Scarring or other serious injury
• Compensation for loss of a limb or disfigurement

Ready to file a claim and pursue justice through a financial damages award? Our expert attorneys are available online or by phone now.

With DLG’s experienced pedestrian accident injury lawyers, our No Win/No Fee Guarantee means there is never any obligation or upfront expense. You pay nothing for our expert legal services until after we successfully recover a maximum financial damages award for your California pedestrian accident claim.

Reach out to DLG’s experienced team today. We are here to answer any questions you may have 24/7. And with more than $100,000,000 recovered in settlements and verdicts for our clients while maintaining a 98% win record, you can be confident that your pedestrian accident injury lawsuit is in the best possible hands.