Indiana Pedestrian And Bicycle Laws
Practice Areas
Pedestrian Accident Statistics
Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association keep statistics about pedestrian injuries and deaths on U.S. roads.
- According to these independent institutions, nearly 5,000 pedestrians die every year.
- From 1975 to 2005, 180,000 pedestrians died in motor vehicle related collisions.
- More than ten percent of on-road fatalities involve pedestrians.
- A pedestrian dies in traffic more than once every two hours on average.
- More than 85 percent of pedestrian accidents occur in urban environments.
- Two thirds of all pedestrian fatalities occur in cities.
- That said, rural pedestrian injuries tend to be more likely to be fatal than urban ones, because cars travel faster on average on rural roads than they do in the cities.
- Higher numbers of urban pedestrian accidents and deaths can be attributed to the fact that urban environments contain more cars and more people in closer proximity.
- 20% of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents are fifteen years old or younger.
- The faster cars drive, the greater the likelihood is that they will kill pedestrians in a collision, as common sense tells us. For instance, a car traveling at 40 miles per hour has an 85 percent chance of leading to a pedestrian fatality; whereas a car traveling half as fast -- 20 miles per hour -- has only a five percent chance of causing a pedestrian fatality.
- Common sense also tells us that the heavier a vehicle is, the lower the speed needed to cause fatal pedestrian injuries; such as in cases of bus accidents or truck accidents involving pedestrians.
Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries
- Fractures
- Lacerations
- Spinal cord and brain injuries
- Post traumatic stress syndrome
- Damage to internal organs
Factors that can Exacerbate Risks for Pedestrian Accidents
- Driver or pedestrian distractibility (e.g. people talking on cell phones, fiddling with iPods, operating while fatigued, etc)
- Poor lighting / unclear signage
- Poor traffic engineering (e.g. no protected areas for pedestrians to cross a road)
- Alcohol or drug use
Legal Redress for Damages and Suffering
If you are a victim of a pedestrian accident in Indiana, or if a loved one was killed in a pedestrian accident, you may be entitled to significant compensation under Indiana state law. Attorney Randy Sevenish is a veteran Indiana car accident attorney (21+ years) and a former police officer. Call 1-800-278-9200, or email Attorney Sevenish through www.sevenishlaw.com to discuss your case in confidence and to develop a battle plan to get the compensation you deserve.
