Stockton Pedestrian Accident Takes out Two -- Officers Investigate

 A recent pedestrian accident in Stockton is being investigated by the Stockton Police Department. In the accident, two pedestrians were hit by a van at the intersection of Market Street and El Dorado Street just before 3:00 p.m., according to The Record.

All that was left at the scene of the accident was a bunch of crumbled cookies and a shoe.

Traffic was redirected as the American Medical Response and the Stockton Fire Department worked to rescue the pedestrians. The driver of the van told officers that the brakes in his van slipped and he was unable to stop in time.

These types of accidents are exactly what researchers at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety have been tackling pedestrian safety. According to one of its recent reports, speed is one of the most influential factors in car-pedestrian accidents. Vehicle speed and pedestrian accidents have been studied extensively for decades now, but many of the older studies are antiquated and do not reflect changes in technology and the traveling environment. The newly released report considers changes in the composition of vehicle design, the walking population, and medical care over past decades.

Our Modesto pedestrian accident attorneys note the report offers safety recommendations. It concludes that speed should be reduced in high-traffic pedestrian areas because of the correlation between a vehicle's speed and the likelihood of serious or fatal injuries. For areas in which it would not be beneficial to reduce speed limits because of the need for fast traffic, researchers suggest that officials consider constructing a physical barrier that can keep pedestrian and vehicle traffic separated.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were nearly 4,100 pedestrian fatalities in 2009 across the country. Nearly 60,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents as well.https://askcompetentlawyer.com/civil-litigation/ This means that a pedestrian was killed every two hours and a pedestrian was injured every nine minutes because of motor vehicle-related accidents during the year.

The outcome of the accidents relied largely on the speed that the vehicle was traveling during the time of impact. The faster the speed the higher the pedestrian's risk was for injury and death. AAA studied pedestrian-vehicle accident reports from the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS).

The risk for injury with varying speeds is as follows:

-When a vehicle strikes a pedestrian at 16 miles per hour, the pedestrians risk of severe injury sits at 10 percent.

-23 mph/25 percent.

-31 mph/50 percent.

-39 mph/75 percent.

-46 mph/90 percent.

The risk for death with varying speeds is as follows:

-When a vehicle strikes a pedestrian at 23 miles per hour, the pedestrians risk of severe injury sits at 10 percent.

-32 mph/25 percent.

-42 mph/50 percent.

-50 mph/70 percent.

-58 mph/90 percent.

The study also concluded that a significant factor in these risks is the age of the pedestrian. The older a pedestrian, the more risks they face. A 30-year-old pedestrian who is hit by a vehicle that's traveling at 35 mph faces the same risks as a 70-year-old pedestrian who is hit by a vehicle that is traveling at 25 mph.

Motorists are asked to drive with extreme caution in areas where pedestrians are present. It's oftentimes not a horrible idea to slow down a little bit as well. You may be the greatest danger to a pedestrian, but you can also help to save a life.