Spring is right around the corner and many Ohio residents are probably eagerly looking forward to getting back to doing some outdoor activities. For some, they may be looking forward to picking up their jogging routine again. For others, it may be as simple as wanting to take the dog for a walk without having to worry about winter weather. But, the unfortunate reality is that when people walk, jog or run alongside public roads, they may be putting themselves in danger.
How common are auto-pedestrian accidents? Who is most affected by these incidents? Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one auto-pedestrian fatality occurs approximately every 1.6 hours in America.
That rate probably seems incredibly high to our readers. The CDC reports that in 2015, the last year with available statistics, a whopping 5,376 pedestrians died in traffic-related incidents in America. The people who are most affected come from two ends of the age spectrum: the young and the old. According to the CDC, of all of the pedestrian deaths in 2015, people over the age of 65 accounted for 19 percent of the fatalities. Auto-pedestrian accidents accounted for 20 percent of the traffic-related deaths of people under the age of 15 in that year as well.
Unfortunately, auto-pedestrian accidents are obviously quite common. Ohio residents should always be on the lookout when they are walking or running alongside roadways. But, sometimes even the best of precautions cannot account for drivers who cause these accidents. Anyone who has been injured in a motor vehicle accident may want to explore their legal options.