Buffalo Personal Injury Lawyer NewsPedestrian Safety
Walking is a great way to get around and get some exercise in the process. Pedestrians can help reduce their carbon footprint while enjoying some fresh air. No wonder walking has become increasingly popular in recent times. However, if you prefer walking, being aware of the risks of being involved in a pedestrian accident is crucial. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a recent year alone, there were roughly 6,300 pedestrians killed in traffic-related accidents. When on foot, you are approximately 1.5 times more susceptible to being fatally injured in an accident than car occupants.
Every 9 minutes, a pedestrian suffers injuries caused by contact with a vehicle. Given the vast difference between the weight and velocity of your average vehicle and a pedestrian, it is understandable why foot-travelers are so vulnerable, especially considering they lack all protections. Consequently, pedestrian accident injuries are rarely just minor cuts and bruises.
Common Causes Of Pedestrian Accidents
In New York State, driving while intoxicated is a serious crime, and DWI laws are strictly enforced. Alcohol can start impacting your motor skills and impair driving skills with a blood alcohol content as low as 0.01. Consequently, even if your BAC is below the legal limit, driving with even a small amount of alcohol in your system can still be extremely dangerous.
Driving is one of the riskiest things you do every day. Many careless actions, such as speeding, giving in to distractions, and fatigued driving, can all significantly increase your risk of crashing. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is especially dangerous. Fortunately, there are simple steps that you can take to keep yourself and others safe. 
Road rage refers to a driver’s intense anger, typically sparked by another’s provoking behavior and manifested through aggressive or violent actions. In recent years, road rage incidents have hit record highs throughout the United States. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), experiencing aggressive driving has become all too common, with approximately 80 percent of motorists reporting at least one incident within the past month.
While car crashes can happen just about any time, the risk of being involved in a collision significantly increases in bad weather. In fact, bad weather conditions are notorious for causing devastating car accidents throughout Western New York. Heavy rain, intense snowfall, poor visibility, and slick roads can all easily cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Driving in poor weather conditions is even more dangerous when drivers fail to take proper safety precautions to prevent unnecessary accidents. 
Discover the hidden epidemic sweeping our nation’s roads, threatening the lives of countless innocent individuals: drowsy driving. In a sleep-deprived society where the average American gets less than 7 hours of rest each night, the consequences can be dire. Astonishingly, despite the universal understanding that driving while drowsy is a recipe for disaster, a staggering 40% of drivers openly confess to embarking on their journeys in a fatigued state. Brace yourself for an even more alarming statistic: a shocking 20% of motorists, in the past year alone, have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel.
Operating a commercial vehicle is vastly different and more challenging than driving a passenger vehicle. Large trucks weigh up to 80,000 pounds and are often 30 times heavier than the average passenger vehicle. The massive size and weight of semi-trucks drastically exacerbate the impact and damage they can inflict in the unfortunate event of an accident. The stopping distances required for these enormous vehicles are considerably longer. Consequently, obtaining a commercial driver’s license is imperative because of the additional training and skills needed to operate a semi-truck safely.