The Philadelphia area has many dangerous intersections that are the scenes of accidents, injuries and deaths, says Philadelphia car accident lawyer Rand Spear.
Philadelphia is the country’s fifth largest metropolitan area so it should be no surprise that due to the level of traffic and number of pedestrians there are many dangerous intersections. They are dangerous for many reasons including the drivers, how traffic is controlled and how pedestrians are not a priority when it comes to getting around. Philadelphia car accident lawyer Rand Spear helps those injured in vehicle and pedestrian accidents obtain proper medical care and compensation for their injuries.
PlanPhilly released a list of the most dangerous Philadelphia intersections for pedestrians based on information from 2008 to 2013. Their list of the most dangerous intersections is,
- Broad and Olney
- 5th and Olney
- Cottman and Bustleton
- 11th and Market
- Broad and Race
- Broad and Girard
- 16th and JFK
- 40th and Market
- Broad and Snyder
- Frankford and Cottman
The number of pedestrians hit by vehicles in Philadelphia has held steady at more than 1,700 per year. There were 37 pedestrian deaths in 2013 (the highest during the period) and 195 fatalities since 2008.
- Most vehicle crashes happen at intersections not in the center of a block because that’s the where most vehicles mix with pedestrians. Many of the intersections listed have a subway station, which increases the amount of foot traffic around those intersections.
- PlanPhilly states that the places with the most pedestrian crashes are where there’s the greatest need for interventions to control traffic. Broad Street has wide lanes, many areas where vehicles and pedestrians conflict and pedestrians are not a traffic signal priority.
From 2003 through 2012, according to Dangerous by Design, a report by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition,
- An estimated 47,025 were killed while walking on U.S. streets,
- Which is sixteen times the number of Americans killed in in natural disasters (such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes) from 2004 to 2014, and
- An estimated 676,000 pedestrians were injured (someone on foot was hit by a vehicle) about every eight minutes.
The study authors came up with a way to measure how likely it is for a pedestrian to be killed by a vehicle, the Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI). It’s based on the percentage of the local commuters who walk to work and the best available data on pedestrian fatalities, offers accident attorney Spear.
- From 2003-2012 the national PDI was 52.2. The average yearly pedestrian fatality rate was 1.56 per 100,000 people.
- The Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington area got a PDI of 44.27, lower than the national average and ranking it 34 of the top 51 urban centers.
- The most dangerous place for pedestrians was Orlando/Kissimmee, Florida (PDI of 244.28), and
- The safest was Boston/Cambridge/Quincy, Massachusetts (PDI 18.65).
Those pedestrians most at risk for injuries due to vehicle accidents are, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- Older adults: Those 65 and older were 19% of all pedestrian deaths and an estimated 10% of all pedestrians injured in 2013.
- Children: In 2013 20% of those killed were children under the age of 14.
- Alcohol impaired drivers and pedestrians: 49% of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian death were alcohol related, 34% of fatal crashes involved a pedestrian who had a blood alcohol concentration high enough to be considered driving under the influence and 15% involved a driver with an alcohol level that high or higher.
Whether you’ve been injured in a vehicle accident at an intersection while in a vehicle or as a pedestrian in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, contact Philadelphia car accident lawyer Rand Spear at 888-373-4LAW today so you can set up a free consultation to discuss the accident, how the law may apply in your situation and what you should do next to protect your rights to compensation for your injuries.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
