A study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveals that over the last decade pedestrian car accident fatalities have increased.
Between 2009 and 2016, many of the pedestrian car accidents involved an SUV, a 3% increase over all other kinds of vehicles.
Some of the increase can be attributed to other fact that SUV’s have increased in popularity, with registered owners increasing nearly 40% over the last several years.
However, research points to the fact that SUV’s, other light trucks and vans are associated with a higher risk of severe injuries and fatalities when compared to cars because of their high profile design.
Other factors may include the fact that more people are walking, while drivers tend to travel at faster speeds.
Many accidents occur at night so visibility is also a problem, especially when pedestrians have to navigate several lanes to cross the street.
Hoping to stem the number of pedestrian car crash fatalities, changes to the design of cross walks have been proposed to include narrowing the distance required to cross the street.
Changes to vehicles such as brighter headlights, softer bumpers and adding rearview cameras to prevent back over accidents are also being considered.
Some car manufacturers are even considering pedestrian airbags that inflate on impact in hopes of reducing serious injuries.
The attorneys of Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC, have practiced for over three decades and have extensive experience handling SUV’s and pedestrian accidents, bus accidents and personal injury matters. When you are injured by a negligent driver in a pedestrian accident, get help from our team of experienced Iowa personal injury attorneys at 515-244-1473.
