“You don’t want to walk through there at night.” Has anyone ever told you that about a specific part of town? It turns out that you may not want to walk anywhere at night, but not for the reasons you think.
Figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that 76% of all the pedestrians killed by vehicles in 2018, were hit after dark.
There are a lot of great reasons to walk at night:
- It keeps you fit.
- It costs less.
- It reduces pollution.
- It reduces congestion.
- It can be quicker.
- It allows you to have a drink without endangering others by driving.
So walking is being a good citizen. Yet, the nation continues to worship the car. Town planners continue to treat pedestrians as second class citizens, making it harder to walk places and more dangerous to do so.
The car industry has a lot to answer for too. Pushing people to drive large SUVs has made being hit by a car even more dangerous for pedestrians. Motoring groups fight moves to reduce speed limits, despite ample evidence showing how cutting speed saves lives.
Yet, if you are injured while walking or have family killed in a pedestrian accident, there is one person more to blame than anyone: the driver of the car. Too many drivers make choices that endanger pedestrians. They choose to drive a big vehicle, drive faster than they need to, drink and drive, jump a light, or use their phone while driving. Seek legal help to claim compensation from a driver who injures you, or kills someone you love.
