Pedestrian Killed in Tragic Accident on North Lumpkin Road in Columbus, Georgia (GA)

COLUMBUS, GA- Wtvm.com writes that a pedestrian crash left one person dead this week in Columbus. The victim, a 68-year-old man, died in the overnight incident.*

Reports indicate that two vehicles struck the man, leading to his death. 

In Georgia, pedestrian crashes increased dramatically over the last few years. While the problem is not unique to Georgia, the numbers within the state are significantly more striking than the national increase in pedestrian deaths. Over a five-year period, the state saw a 60 percent jump in pedestrian fatalities. In a ten year period, the national number of fatal pedestrian collisions rose by 42 percent. 

In Georgia, many suspect that the reason for the hike in fatal crashes is largely the result of people being distracted by their phones. The state instituted a hands-free law to help prevent such incidents, and while officials believe it is working, they also suspect that the problem is still leading to the higher number of deadly pedestrian collisions. 

Phones are not the only factor contributing to the higher number of fatal pedestrian incidents. SUVs are also the main cause of the rise in such tragedies. The number of people killed by SUVs grew far faster than the number of people killed by smaller passenger cars. The increasing popularity of SUVs means that many of the vehicles on the road are larger than the cars of the past. 

While technology is improving in newer cars, safety features are not providing meaningful improvements to pedestrian safety. For instance, pedestrian detecting technology often fails to work after dark. This is a major problem given the fact that pedestrians are far more at risk at night than they are during the day. 

About three out of four deadly pedestrian crashes occur at night. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://www.wtvm.com/2020/08/15/pedestrian-dead-crash-north-lumpkin-rd-columbus/

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/pedestrian-fatalities-us-roads-hit-almost-30-year-high

https://www.gahighwaysafety.org/research/