There are certain groups of individuals that are at a greater risk of possibly being injured or killed. For example, over 46 percent of pedestrians are non-white; 20 percent killed are 65-years-old or older; and nearly one-fifth of children under the age of 14 die in pedestrian accidents.

Statistics also show that pedestrian deaths are more likely to happen in lower-income areas and that speeding vehicles increase the chances of a pedestrian death.

Many factors play a role in pedestrian deaths. Some of the most common reasons for pedestrian traffic accidents are: badly lit roadways, distracted driving or walking, jaywalking, speeding and more.

Furthermore, pedestrian deaths are more than three times as likely to happen in urban areas; pedestrians are more than three times as likely to be hit and killed by a vehicle in the dark; and over 70 percent of pedestrian deaths happen where there is no intersection.

The causes of pedestrian traffic deaths can be a number of things, such as:

• Alcohol-related pedestrian deaths – many people are astonished to find out that in accidents involving pedestrian deaths, the pedestrian may be more than twice as likely to be inebriated as the driver. As an example: between the years of 2005 and 2014, 34 percent of pedestrians killed were legally drunk, compared to 14 percent of drivers.
• Approximately 50 percent of pedestrian deaths for those between 21 and 44 years of age had blood alcohol contents of .08 percent and higher.

Yes, car accidents involving pedestrians are more common than you may think. According to a report released in 2017, Houston, Texas is the 15th-most-dangerous metro area for pedestrians. Overall, the state comes in even higher for such accidents, ranking ninth in the United States.

The statistics released in the report from the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America also place the Houston metro area and the state of Texas as far more dangerous for pedestrians in 2016 than in 2014. For example, in 2015, 558 pedestrians were killed in traffic, a figure that represents approximately 15 percent of all traffic deaths statewide.

Yes, there is a most common type of fatal pedestrian accident. Over 85 percent of pedestrians killed were struck by the front of a vehicle. However, in the case of an accident involving a large truck or bus, the pedestrian is more likely to be hit on the left or right side or by the rear of the vehicle.

There are a number of laws in Texas aimed at protecting pedestrians from negligent drivers. If you have been the victim of a pedestrian accident, seek legal advice to determine your rights.

Yes, there is a correlation between pedestrian deaths and distracted driving and walking. In fact, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center revealed that the number of pedestrians killed by distracted drivers jumped nearly 50 percent between 2005 and 2010. It is expected that the percentage of those killed is set to increase even more due to texting while driving.

Yes. If you are a pedestrian and involved in a car accident involving a pedestrian that is caused by the car driver, the victims may have a couple of different remedies. A victim of such accident can make a claim against the car driver and the driver’s insurance company. If the car driver has purchased uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on their own auto insurance policy, that coverage will also protect them in a car accident involving a pedestrian.