Tragic, Fatal Pedestrian Accident on Airport Road in Lancaster County, North Carolina (NC)

CHARLOTTE, NC- Wbtc.com writes that a pedestrian was struck by a car in Lancaster County. The victim, identified as a 48-year-old, was declared dead at the scene of the accident.*

The incident occurred in the late evening. Police have not filed charges against the driver. 

Pedestrians and cyclists are frequently the victims of traffic accidents in North Carolina. The state has over 3,000 reported pedestrian crashes each year. Another 850 cyclist crashes are reported. Of that total, 160 pedestrians are killed in these crashes, and twenty cyclists die annually in the state. 

When collisions occur between cars and people, the consequences are devastating for pedestrians. If a car is traveling at just 40 miles an hour, a pedestrian will face an 85 percent chance of death. 

The risk of a pedestrian crash is higher at night. In fact, in 2018, 76 percent of pedestrians killed in crashes were struck when it was dark out. 

Pedestrian detecting technology may, at some point, help to lower the number of people killed in these collisions every year, but currently, these systems fail to detect people in many situations. A test conducted by the AAA indicated that pedestrian detecting technology is basically ineffective after dark. Given the large role that visibility plays in pedestrian crashes every year, a technology that cannot recognize pedestrians in the road at night will not greatly improve road safety. In fact, many of the systems are not able to prevent tragedies even during the day. In fact, at just twenty miles per hour, while it is light out, these systems still fail most of the time.  

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.wbtv.com/2020/06/25/pedestrian-struck-killed-lancaster-county/

https://www.watchformenc.org/crashfacts/

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/23/20927512/traffic-death-crash-statistics-nhtsa-us-2018