Accidents that involve pedestrians are very common, with older adults and young children being the most at risk. This problem is larger than we would like to believe, with an average of one crash-related pedestrian death happening every 1.6 hours in the United States as of 2015.
The other big common factor that plays into pedestrian accidents is alcohol. Alcohol-impaired drivers cause almost half of all pedestrian deaths and are among the most common factors in pedestrian accident lawyer cases. In today’s post, the pedestrian accident lawyer at Tolbert Beadle will look at how alcohol contributes to these accidents.
Drunk Drivers At The Wheel
The most common cause of accidents that involve alcohol is people who get behind the wheel when drunk. 48% of crashes that result in pedestrian deaths happen when there is alcohol involved and 15% involve a driver that has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams per deciliter.
Pedestrian accident lawyers and car accident attorneys are flooded with drunk driving cases. As always, drink responsibly and don’t get behind the wheel if you have been drinking.
Drunk Pedestrians
You would think that drunk drivers are the biggest culprits in accidents with pedestrians that involve alcohol, but pedestrians are more likely to be drunk. 34% of fatal pedestrian crashes involve a pedestrian with a BAC of at least 0.08 g/dL. These are especially prevalent in more urban areas at night when people are making their commute home from a night out.
While walking home might seem like a good idea when you’ve been drinking, make sure that you are accompanied by a sober friend. It is more difficult for pedestrian accident lawyers to represent pedestrians that have been injured when they were under the influence.
How Can I Avoid An Accident?
There are several preventative measures that you can take as a pedestrian to avoid a visit to the pedestrian accident lawyer’s office. The easiest is to carry around a flashlight or have reflective clothing on, as most accidents happen at night when you aren’t seen by drivers. It’s also much safer to walk on a sidewalk, but when that isn’t possible, walk against oncoming traffic so that you are able to see cars coming. Some states, including California, even require this by law.
Contact Our Pedestrian Accident Lawyer For Representation
If you were injured as a pedestrian and need proper representation, get into contact with the pedestrian accident lawyers at Tolbert Beadle. We will work for you to get proper compensation for your accident and the injuries that came from it. Give us a call today at 1 (800) 887-4030 or fill out our online form for more information.