Everyone is a pedestrian (as long as you are not in a motor vehicle) and with that comes some legal responsibility in the crash injury scenario between a car and person. There is an average of 10-15% of traffic fatalities which involve pedestrians each year. Just in 2004, there were over 550 pedestrians injured and 45 were killed in a motor vehicle crash in the state of Oregon alone.

With more people visiting and living in Oregon, our streets have became much busier and injury accident involving cars and people have increased. While we must remember that our streets must be shared equally by both drivers and pedestrians it’s a priority to understand their responsibility on the streets. Around 75% of motor vehicle - pedestrian car accidents are due to driver miscalculations when yielding to a pedestrian crossing the street in the state of Oregon.

Here are some safety tips for both Oregon drivers and pedestrians:

1 - Under Oregon state law there is always a crosswalk at all intersections.
2 - A vehicle must stop at least 30 feet before the first white line of a crosswalk. This is to help the drivers around the vehicle to see any pedestrians crossing.
3 - Never block an intersection. This act makes the pedestrian go around the car and therefore could be in more danger to passing cars.
4 - Also watch out for children or animals when leaving a place of business. Most driveways go through a crosswalk or walkway. Be on alert when you are driving in a heavily pedestrian area, such as a shopping center or park.
5 - Children and animals are unpredictable. Always go at a slower pace when you feel they might be around. It is safe to always think they might dart out in front of your vehicle.
6 - Also watch your surroundings. If you are driving around a business of a bar or tavern, be alert for pedestrians that are slowed with impaired judgment.
7 - During low light situations, be alert and ready. Low light makes it harder to see pedestrians, especially if they are wearing dark colored clothing.

A good tip is to always drive slowly and walk carefully to ensure no car - pedestrian accidents occur. If a car pedestrian crash does happen, make sure you get the help of an attorney with knowledge and experience. That’s my best advice in doing these cases over the last 16 years as an injury accident Oregon and Washington car accident lawyer.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 11:40 am and is filed under Injury - Pedestrian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.