Bicycle & Pedestrian Accidents on the Rise

The streets of San Francisco have seen the rise in the number of motorcycle and bicycles not only due to continuing rise of fuel prices and worsening economy, but in an effort to lessen the pollution and cleanse the air.

But corollary to that is the rise in pedestrian and bicycle accident which reported to have doubled since the last year. Authorities said that this does not mean that roads have become more dangerous but merely because of the increasing number of bicycles and motorcycle these days.

In 2006, vehicular accident fatalities in the US totaled to 42,642. Out of that number, pedestrian accident kills a staggering number of 4,784 individuals while nearly 70,000 pedestrians are injured.

Statistics show that at least 1 pedestrian gets killed in a traffic accident every 110 minutes, or so.

More and more people use motorcycle and bicycles to reduce the continuing micro economic burden that increasing fuel prices brought to American families.

In the State of California alone, the number of motorcycle licenses has reportedly increased – from 908,000 in 2002, the figure reached a staggering more than a million this year.

But as they say, everything has a price. As mentioned, due to increasing use of motorcycles and bicycles, the accidents in the streets involving them has exponentially increased as well. Cases of pedestrian accidents have noticeably increased too.

Pedestrian accidents are covered by tort laws which make negligent person liable for injury, damage or death of a pedestrian. Compensation may include medical bills, lost wages and property damages, as well as compensation for pain and suffering.

Road safety: A matter of choice

Accidents in the major highways and thoroughfares are becoming part of our daily living. Not a day passes by without it.

Just this week, another accident at Southbound I-15 near Barstow happened. Five people were injured and no fatalities were reported though.

Repeatedly, we are being cautioned from the debilitating effects of accidents. But it seems that we are continuously playing in the ring of death so to speak. We never learned our lesson from the experiences of others.

Accidents, just like any other occurrences, are preventable. By observing the diligence of a cautious man, we may be freed form injuries. We can also save lives. Observing road signs, traffic rules and speed limit are some steps we can take to prevent it.

Admittedly, though, there are moments when we are just being lured by fate into it. Sometimes, its just have to happen and unluckily, we are there at that moment. We are just caught unaware.

However, in most cases, accidents are caused by negligence of people - of the driver, pedestrian or passenger. Drunk driving and use of the phone while driving are some negligent acts attributed to humans while road condition, weather condition, negligence of others are instances beyond our control.

The bottom line is, to be involved or not in any vehicular accident lies in our own hands. We have the power to dictate our fate on the road. It is just a matter of choice.

Another Vehicular Accident in California freeway

Another vehicular accident, particularly one involving a big truck, happened in one of California’s freeways just a couple of days ago.

The accident was reported to have occurred on the I-5 Freeway. It involved a big rig truck and an SUV near the San Clemente State Beach. The SUV was the first vehicle to figure in an accident when the truck struck it causing the latter to rollover several times.

The big truck was then reportedly carrying 60,000 pounds of food cargo.

When the two vehicles collide, both the SUV and the truck caught fire. The truck driver was airlifted to a hospital. The SUV driver was lucky to be uninjured.

Vehicular accident, such as this one, is one of the common sources of personal bodily injuries and deaths in the US.

In California freeways in particular, it is very common to see accidents involving large trucks.

For those who are involved, one thing I could suggest is to go after whosoever is responsible for the damage. Under the law, they may sue the driver, or the owner or anyone which contributed to the accident.

They may recover damages by hiring a competent car accident or personal injury lawyer. In doing so, they may realize that they can get a lot more than to grab hasty settlements from insurance companies.

A good accident lawyer is the key.

In the US, there are more than 6 million car accidents and from that figure, 42,642 lost their lives.

One person dies every 13 minutes or 115 each day. Others suffer bodily injury which range from temporary to permanent injuries.