To follow up on a previous post, while the number of traffic deaths across the country has declined overall, the number of pedestrian deaths remains high to the point of being an ongoing concern. With almost 6,000 pedestrians across the country dying on the roads in 2016, the numbers should alarm both public officials throughout the state of Georgia as well as for the average citizens of Rome and other towns in the northern part of this state.
This because, more so than most other states, pedestrian accidents are all too frequent in Georgia. In fact, in a recent analysis, Georgia ranked as the state with the tenth highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the country. Accounting for differences in population between the states, the analysis determined that 2.25 pedestrians die in traffic accidents for every 100,000 residents of this state.
Other states in the South also fared poorly in this analysis. While it would likely take some further study to understand exactly why Georgia has such a high rate of pedestrian fatalities, one can surmise several obvious bad driving habits that can contribute to fatal pedestrian accidents.
For instance, a driver that is distracted or just not paying attention may not even see a pedestrian before hitting him or her, and a driver who is traveling too fast for the conditions may well see a pedestrian but just not have time to stop. Obviously, a drunk or drugged driver poses a serious threat even to a pedestrian who is walking on a sidewalk near a street.
Hopefully, this state will be able to take the necessary steps to make those who choose to walk from place to place a little safer when they do so. In the short, perhaps the best step toward prevention of pedestrian deaths would be for the families of victims to hold those responsible for pedestrian accidents financially accountable for their actions.