Recently researches have begun to focus on the causes of this deadly rise, as they’ve come to realize that the majority of pedestrian wrongful deaths are not the result of bad luck, but rather due to poor planning by engineers and politicians who have routinely ignored needed safety studies before building new roadways. Additionally, the growing number of large SUVs on the road has contributed to the increase in deadly collisions.

Most drivers do not realize that due to the height of SUVs they are prone to strike pedestrians in their torso, the site of vital organs, rather than in their legs – which may result in fractures, but not death. Studies found that SUVs cause nearly 110 wrongful deaths per 1,000 pedestrian collisions versus 45 caused by cars.

Distracted driving is another significant factor in the rise in pedestrian deaths, despite that fact that most police departments do not have reports which adequately report the role cell phone use plays in pedestrian and bicycle accidents. However, as nearly all drivers admit to using their phones while behind the wheel it is clear that the role distracted drivers play in pedestrian accidents is underreported.

Additionally, safety engineers have failed to consider the speeds they allow on roads which are known to have significant pedestrian traffic. This is particularly concerning as the majority of pedestrians die in crashes where a vehicle was driving more than forty miles per hour. This is an easily correctable issue which lower speed limits, roadway cameras and better road design including better and more streetlights are able to address. Roadway design in particular can an immediate impact on pedestrian death prevention, by simply providing more crosswalks and stop signs; sadly, most drivers will not stop for pedestrians at unmarked intersections. Also by providing additional time for pedestrian to cross marked crosswalks, traffic engineers can save lives particularly in locations with an older population which walks slower.

More deadly pedestrian crashes happen in suburban areas where high speed roads are located near homes and apartments.

Lastly, public relations campaigns are needed to change the narrative journalists use when reporting pedestrian crashes. Too often those stories blame the injured or deceased pedestrian without regards for a poorly designed road or a speeding motorist. Having continually battled the ongoing tort reform narrative, Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer Joseph Lipsky agrees that the term “accident” which implies there’s no fault for a crash, that discussion about pedestrian versus car incidents should be referred to as a “collision.”

While some car makers have begun to install automatic braking systems, which are designed to protect bike riders and pedestrians, the majority of manufacturers have not made such systems standard, instead only offering those as expensive options. As we’ve previously reported, due to the ever increasing problem of distracted driving and the rise in the number of large vehicles on the road, which are more deadly than cars, the need to protect those outside of vehicles has become a pressing need, particularly in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale where our weather encourages more outdoor activity, including walking and biking. Thankfully the vast number of car manufacturers have decided to get ahead of pending regulations and agreed to have emergency braking installed in all their vehicles by late 2022. Also, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is trying to motivate manufactures to speed up implementation of such equipment by letting manufacturers know that only vehicles with pedestrian detection and braking systems as standard equipment will be eligible for its Top Safety Pick rating. The IIHS believes autonomous braking will help motorists avoid nearly 30,000 car accidents and prevent over 10,000 injuries within the next 5 years.

In addition to automatic emergency braking, manufacturers are evaluating other pedestrian and cyclist safety measures, such as those being used in Europe, including using materials on bumpers which are less rigid, meaning they will cause less damage to a pedestrian. Other advances include the utilization of so-called artificial intelligence which will allow cars and trucks to react more quickly to unexpected dangers. AI is also being used to trigger faster responses from emergency personnel, including ambulances and fire rescue, which it is hoped will result in fewer serious car accident injuries.

The technology will use measurements from a vehicles sensors to monitor the severity of crashes and estimate the type of emergency response needed. Like vehicle speed and aggressive driving monitors, the program will install devices in vehicles which are connected to a central data bank to determine if particularly vulnerable body parts were likely injured in a crash. That information is they relayed to physicians who can treat serious injuries in real time, by making sure they are taken to a trauma hospital rather than a local emergency room.

We could not agree more with the need for an expansion and implementation of accident prevention and life saving technology.