March 5, 2018

Over the last decade statistics show it’s much safer to drive than it is to walk. That’s the conclusion of a recently released report on pedestrian safety documenting the time period from 2007 to 2016, “The number of pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent … while at the same time, all other traffic deaths decreased by 14 percent.” Alarmingly, this is not just a medium-term trend, reports the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). In the U.S., “pedestrians now account for a larger proportion of traffic fatalities than they have in the past 33 years.”
The recent rise in pedestrian deaths has prompted concern and action from both policymakers and traffic safety advocates across the country… despite that concern fatality rates aren’t going down. Pedestrian deaths have increased over the past decade while other types of traffic fatalities have declined. Pedestrians accounted for 16 percent of all motor-vehicle related deaths in 2016, up from 11 percent in 2007. According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, which tracks traffic fatalities, more young people are being injured in crashes – although older adults are more likely to be killed. “We believe the increase is in large part due to distracted driving and distracted walking as well,” says Will Wingfield, the institute’s communications director.
It’s hard to say exactly what might be driving the overall rise in pedestrian deaths. One obvious reason is that there are simply more cars on the road. The number of miles traveled by vehicles increased almost 3 percent in 2015 another 1.2 percent the first half of last year, according to Federal Highway Administration data. Increasing cell phone use by drivers and pedestrians could also be a culprit. The total number of multimedia messages sent has more than tripled since 2010. “Those kinds of changes are very meaningful in terms of people’s eyeballs not being where we want them to be,” he says. The report also suggests a possible link with marijuana use. In states that have legalized recreational marijuana such as California pedestrian deaths collectively increased 16.4 percent over the first half of the year, while they dropped among states that didn’t legalize the drug.
It can be difficult to gauge the role marijuana plays in traffic accidents. One place that may provide a clue is Washington State, where marijuana was legalized in late 2012 and the first dispensaries opened in mid-2014. According to data from the Traffic Safety Commission, Washington State saw an increase in 2015 and 2016 in fatal crashes where THC, the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana, was present in blood tests of either the pedestrian or driver. The totals, while higher, still remain relatively small. Additionally, THC levels can be detected days or even weeks after marijuana use, and Washington State’s data also indicates that between 70 and 80 percent of drivers found to have THC also tested positive for alcohol or other drugs.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have over 80 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

INSURANCE COMPANIES KNOW US BECAUSE THEY’VE PAID OUR CLIENTS OVER $130 MILLION DOLLARS.

$2.9

MILLION

CAR ACCIDENT INJURY

Guenard & Bozarth llp obtained a $2,962,903 jury verdict in the Sacramento County Superior Court for plaintiff David Schoonover, who suffered head and neck injuries and fractures in a head-on accident on Roseville Road in Roseville on July 22, 2012

$300

THOUSAND

HAIR SALON INJURY

Guenard & Bozarth LLP recently settled a case for $300,000 involving a hair weave that went terribly wrong. Our client was a young lady, and aspiring model, who experienced pressure necrosis from a tight weave and it changed her life.

$500

THOUSAND

SLIP & FALL INJURY

Guenard & Bozarth LLP recently settled a slip and fall case for $500,000 a couple weeks before trial. The client slipped and fell on a wet piece of cardboard in a grocery store and sustained a serious shoulder injury that required surgery.

$300

THOUSAND

NEGLIGENCE INJURY

On February 13, 2013 Maricela, a Certified Nursing Assistant presented to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Emergency Room with complaint of neck and back pain. She was diagnosed with a neck strain and was given Ibuprofen and instructed to return if her symptoms did not subside.

YOUR STORY MATTERS TO US

Contact Preferences

How would you like to be contacted? Check all that apply.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Never in my life did I think I would recommend an attorney. Somehow God sent this angel of an attorney to assist me in my personal injury lawsuit. I was told by lawyers in Bakersfield that my lawsuit was frivolous because there was money in it.
– Bill
Read More
I live in Elk Grove where we don’t always have a lot of choices. Lawyers are one area where we have few good choices. I wanted to work with a local law firm after my motorcycle accident, and I chose Glenn Guenard and Ross Bozarth.
– Lloyd
Read More
My daughter was involved in an automobile accident in an intersection on her 17th birthday. The other person said it was her fault and my daughter said her light was green. I am not the sort of person who sues but my insurance
– Sharon
Read More