Pedestrian accidents are increasing in South Carolina, according to news reports.
Pedestrian deaths in the state have been decreasing in the past three years, but 2011 is slowly becoming the deadliest.
“We hope not – up till now, we’ve been on a downward trend, and we’re doing all we can to avoid an upward tick in fatalities,” said Phil Riley, director of the highway safety office of the S.C. Department of Public Safety, to news reports.
So far this year, 427 pedestrian road fatalities have occurred compared to 2010, during the same months. Pedestrian deaths are a large factor in the increase. Fatal pedestrian accidents have lept 37 percent, from 37 to 51.
“To counter pedestrian deaths, whose rise last year already alarmed Department of Public Safety officials, the department announced last year it is preparing a $75,000 educational and public-service offensive that will include troopers handing out some 30,000 reflective “slap bands” for walkers to wear. The idea is to make pedestrians more visible at night, especially in rural areas, where most of those fatalities happen,” according to news reports.
As a Columbia personal injury lawyer , I’m saddened to hear about these pedestrian accidents. I urge pedestrians to always practice road safety when crossing the street and never walk along a busy roadway and cross the street only in a crosswalk or when no vehicles pose potential danger.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in Columbia.