Being a pedestrian in California, Florida, Texas and New York is more dangerous than other states, according to a new report that says nearly 40 percent of all pedestrian accidents in the U.S. occur in the four states.
The report, conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association, shows the four state with the largest population rates have the most pedestrian accidents. Nine other highly ranked states, however, with 100 pedestrian fatalities in 2009 rank in the top half of states by population.
More pedestrians were killed by cars in 2009 than the past four years, which according to data is a 0.4 percent increase since 2010.
Pedestrians in Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Alaska and Idaho, are the safest, according to the report. The smaller states had 10 or fewer pedestrian deaths last year.
“The most notable fatality increases occurred in some surprising states. Instead of in high-population states with large urban areas, or in states with a high percentage of older adults — such as New Jersey, New York and Texas, which experienced a reduction in pedestrian deaths — some of the biggest increases came from North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon,” according to news reports .
While there isn’t an exact reason for the increased pedestrian deaths, a popular theory blames distractions such as electronic devices.
As a North Charleston personal injury lawyer , I hope to see South Carolina make improvements to lower the number of pedestrian accidents in the future. The state ranked 14th for pedestrian deaths, according to the report.
If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in North Charleston .