Although the first months of 2020 saw significantly fewer cars traveling Connecticut’s roads, the Governors Highway Safety Association is predicting that the state had more pedestrians die in traffic accidents this year.
According to the Association’s comparison of data between the first six months of 2019 and 2020, there were 31 death in 2020 compared to 21 deaths in 2019, an increase of close to 50%.
In fairness, the percentage may change when data for all twelve months of 2020 is available.
Nationwide, the news was not great. Even though overall pedestrian deaths hovered around 2019’s baseline, because people drove less frequently in 2020, the death rate per miles traveled increased by about 20%, suggesting the roads continue to get more dangerous.
Intoxicated driving is an ongoing problem
There are many reasons why the fatality rate for pedestrians continues to climb. Unfortunately, to a great extent, other drivers are just not being careful in areas where pedestrians may be walking along sidewalks or crossing streets.
For example, in 2019, about half of all fatal pedestrian accidents involved either drunk driver or a drunk pedestrian. Most drivers in the Hartford area should know about now that drinking and driving is both illegal and very dangerous.
Yet, because drivers continue to operate while intoxicated, they also continue to hit pedestrians at intersections or even after veering off the road.
Deadly pedestrian accidents also frequently happen at night, with 3 out of 4 of all fatalities occurring while it is dark outside. Motorists simply must adjust their nighttime driving by slowing down and by paying careful attention to the road.
Even if the victim survives, pedestrian accidents too often leave the victim seriously injured and, in many cases, permanently disabled. If the driver of a vehicle is legally responsible for the accident, then the victim may be able to pursue compensation.
