Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer - Article

Staying Safe While You Walk

Walking to work is an excellent way to maintain your health while saving money. Even if that is not an option, jogging or taking strolls around the neighborhood provides a great opportunity to enjoy pleasant weather and perhaps get to know your neighbors better. There are certain risks, however, chief among them being the danger of a collision with a motor vehicle. In 2001 alone, 78,000 pedestrians were injured and 4,882 were killed in traffic accidents.

Risk Factors

Statistics have found links between certain factors and the risk of being involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. Some of these are behaviors or other things that a person can easily change to increase safety. Others are traits, such as age, that a person cannot change. Instead, it is important for people with these traits to be a little extra cautious on the road.

Risk factor for pedestrian and car collisions include:

• Alcohol consumption: Nearly 1/3 of pedestrians killed by cars were intoxicated at the time.
• Gender: Over 60% of pedestrians killed by cars are male.
• Age: Children and senior citizens are especially vulnerable to traffic accidents.

Staying Safe

The following tips can greatly reduce your odds of being injured:

• Use crosswalks and obey traffic signals.
• Make sure drivers see you cross the street.
• Increase your visibility at night with white clothes and reflectors.
• Always look both ways before crossing the street.

Contact a Chicago Pedestrian Injury Attorney

Even when they follow every safety tip, people can still be injured by reckless or negligent drivers. If you or a loved one has been injured by a reckless driver, the Chicago personal injury lawyers Friedman & Bonebrake can help. Contact our office at 312-466-8200.