A recent report suggests that Louisiana is heading in the right direction when it comes to the number of pedestrian fatalities.
According to preliminary statistics, Louisiana experienced a drop in the number of pedestrian deaths between 2018 and 2019. In the first six months of 2018, the state had 76 fatalities. During the same time frame in 2019, the state had only 64 fatalities.
If these figures hold, it will mark an over 15% decrease in the number of pedestrian deaths between 2018 and 2019.
However, the same report suggests that in many respects, this state and the whole country can do more to prevent fatal pedestrian accidents. Currently, experts estimate 6,590 pedestrian deaths in 2019, which will be an increase of 300 deaths, or 5%, over 2018.
Sadly, the number of pedestrian deaths has been on a steady rise since 2009. The number of deaths has increased by over 50% in the last decade. If the current estimate holds, it will mark the highest number of pedestrian fatalities since the late 1980s.
Some experts attribute this spike in pedestrian fatalities to a number of factors. The ongoing popularity of SUVs, for instance, was partially to blame, as was global warming, which tends to lead to more pedestrians walking at nighttime.
However, and not surprisingly, bad driving habits also took a share of the blame. For instance, distracted drivers cause a lot of pedestrian accidents, particularly when they are texting and driving or trying to talk on the phone.
Likewise, particularly with the growing acceptability of marijuana use in society, drugged driving is more of a concern.
Whatever the cause, many pedestrian accidents are not the victim’s fault. In such cases, grieving victims may have the right to pursue compensation from the responsible driver.