Whether you’re driving a car or truck, motorcycle or bicycle, or taking a walk, it’s everyone’s responsibility to share the road and adhere to the rules.
When a motorist or pedestrian thinks they own the road, accidents happen. In 2017, 783 bicyclists were killed in crashes across the U.S. according to the National Highway Safety Association. More than 5,000 motorcyclists were killed in traffic accidents the same year.
The City of Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) has extensive programs to improve walking in Chicago. This involves encouraging pedestrian activity through engineering, enforcement, education, and encouragement. The group studied pedestrian traffic on Chicago’s streets and found the following:
- Overall pedestrian crashes have been trending downward since 2001.
- There were 34 pedestrian fatalities in 2009, a 16-year low.
- Pedestrian crashes occur most often between 3-6 p.m.
- Taxi involvement in pedestrian crashes in the downtown area was 28 percent.
- Half of the fatal and serious injury crashes occurred on arterial roadways, which account for only 10 percent of the street miles in Chicago.
- Three-quarters of all crashes occur in or near intersections.
- More than half of crashes at signalized intersections involve turning vehicles.
- In an examination of various factors including crime, income, race, language spoken, and Walk Score, the strongest correlation was between pedestrian crashes and crime.
- One-third of pedestrian crashes are hit-and-runs.
The NHTSA urges everyone to share the road and help prevent crashes, which have increased over the past 10 years.
What you can do to prevent a deadly crash
Bicyclists: There were 783 bicyclists killed in collisions with vehicles in 2017…
- That’s about a 2 percent drop from 2016.
- However, it’s up from 718 bicyclist deaths in 2008.
- In 2017, 53 of the bicyclists killed were children.
Pedestrians: In 2017, 5,977 pedestrians died in traffic crashes …
- That’s down 1.7 percent over the previous year.
- However, it’s up from 4,414 in 2008.
- The pedestrians killed in 2017 included 214 children.
Motorcyclists: The number of people killed on motorcycles in 2017 was 5,172 …
- That’s a 3.1 percent decrease from 2016.
- However, motorcyclist fatalities in urban areas increased by 15 percent from 2008-2017.
- Motorcyclist fatalities in rural areas decreased by 25 percent in that timeframe.
What to do if you’re injured in a crash
Even when drivers and pedestrians share the road, accidents can happen. If you’ve been injured while on the road, contact our firm today to find out how we can help.
