Accidents
An analysis of statistics on accidents involving pedestrians in the United States shows that the number of fatalities is increasing. The number of pedestrian deaths in the past few years has increased by more than 10%, and this, according to experts, may be to blame for smartphones. People who cross the road are absorbed in communicating with the interlocutor in a mobile application or game, and do not pay attention to what is happening around. In general, this is a well-known fact, in some cities for fans of smartphones on the sidewalks have taken special paths. Distracted by their electronic devices and drivers.
One thing is the pavement, where a collision with another pedestrian can only threaten with a dropped phone and a spoiled mood. And quite another – the road, which, as you know, does not forgive the inattentive. According to analysts from the United States, only in 2016 the number of pedestrian deaths increased by 11%. Information provided by the Road Safety Association, this is a collection of statistics from the reports of road service employees.
Confirm or disprove the assumption that the deaths of pedestrians are to blame for smartphones and other electronic devices, it is quite difficult. Nevertheless, the representatives of the Association are almost sure of this. According to Richard Retting, representative of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, the total number of kilometers passed by drivers and pedestrians per year increased by only a fraction of a percent, so that the jump in deaths of people caught on the road in an accident depends little on this indicator. But people are much more likely to resort to the use of electronic devices while driving. And this is the main cause of the problem.
“It seems that this is the only factor that affects a significant increase in the number of deaths of people,” Retet says.
The report is based on data from all US states for the first six months of 2016, which were extrapolated for the remaining six months. Last year, the increase in deaths of people in road accidents increased to a record level in 40 years. The previous record of growth of this indicator was noted in 2015. In 2016, the number of deaths of pedestrians, the cause of which – a collision with a car, has grown to 15% in relation to the total number of incidents with pedestrians. In 2006, this figure was 11%.
“The latest figures show that in the US pedestrian safety is not too high. For each of these lost lives – a dear to someone someone who has not returned home, it is absolutely unacceptable, “- says Jonathan Adkins, the Association’s executive director.
In general, the number of deaths on US roads increased by 6% last year, an absolute record for the last 10 years has been set. According to the National Security Council of the United States, in 2016, more than 40,200 people died as a result of an accident. More people died because of an accident only in 2007, then the number of deaths reached 41,000.
The Council itself is a national non-profit organization that aims to promote the protection of people’s lives and health by raising public awareness of safety techniques and ways to prevent accidents Of cases. It collects and disseminates statistics and other information about accidents; Members of the council are enterprises from various sectors of the economy, labor organizations, various educational institutions, etc.
The total number of accidents from 2010 to 2015 increased by 6%. According to experts, the pedestrians themselves are to blame for the problem, because drivers are distracted by telephones and other electronic devices. Now you can often see how a person who is clearly looking at the screen of his gadget, passes by a red light, or drives through a pedestrian crossing despite the fact that people are already going there.
Among the other states with the highest pedestrian death rate as a result of road accidents are Delaware, Florida and Arizona. The minimum is in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
The increase in fatalities has attracted the attention of the US government and various regulators. Now the country is going to develop new precautions, which, as experts hope, will be able to change the situation. Some measures are being taken now. In particular, the central government asks the state and individual authorities to talk about successful cases of implementing measures that reduce the total number of fatal crashes and increase the safety of pedestrians on the roads. Among the proposed ways of solving the problem is carrying out information campaigns for the population, both for motorists and pedestrians, identifying high-risk areas, cooperation between scientific organizations and various governmental organizations.
