Watch Out

Just know that there are so many perilous crossings for pedestrians throughout all of Illinois and beyond. You sometimes really take your chances when you have the “walk” light and are within the designated pedestrian area, presuming that you will be safe from motorists.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

While there are other parts of the country which are typically the leaders with pedestrians killed and injured, the numbers are still alarming right here in our own backyards of Illinois.  Even all across America it is recorded that a pedestrian dies in a traffic crash every 2 hours.

Be mindful that the numbers of vehicular/pedestrian collisions have proven to be most difficult to reduce for multiple reasons:  distracted drivers looking at cell phones instead of for traffic; people attempting to cross the street at the wrong time or wrong place, placing themselves in danger;  and  the focus of communities to move traffic and not necessarily take all the appropriate precautions for pedestrian safety.

The message here is that the only real way to protect yourself as a pedestrian is not to be a careless pedestrian, and because you know you will absolutely be confronting perilous drivers.  It’s also common knowledge that our senior citizens are at much greater risk than younger pedestrians given that the severity of injuries are much greater for senior citizens.  Younger victims have better healing potential and much quicker recoveries than older Americans.  One thing to always remember is that while you may think and assume that you will be seen and observed when you are walking across the street, but just know that this is not the case.  We all recognize that drivers of vehicles have a difficult time seeing motorcycles.  But they also have an equally if not more difficult time seeing pedestrians.  While walking is one of the healthiest activities for your overall health and well-being, it can be a very unsafe activity in most of our communities.

Be mindful that the biggest contributing factors to pedestrian injuries are the excessive speeds drivers operate their vehicles and thereby giving less reaction time to avoiding collisions.  We can’t force the community to build safer streets and curbs and install better signage and lighting, but we can do much better as pedestrians.  Always try to put your “best foot” forward, but when doing so, just be sure you know exactly what lies ahead.

If you do end up getting hit by a driver, don’t hesitate to contact a Mount Vernon car accident lawyer at Hassakis & Hassakis for experienced help with your financial recovery.