Tragic Pedestrian Crash Kills One on US 221 in Spartanburg County, South Carolina (SC)
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC- Wspa.com writes that a crash involving a pedestrian took place overnight on US 221 this week. The fatal incident involved a Nissan Versa that was heading northbound when it collided with a pedestrian who was on the road.*
The victim was a 32-year-old woman from Chesnee.
Nighttime pedestrian collisions are often caused by drivers failing to see the victims in the roadway. When miles traveled are accounted for, the risk of pedestrian fatalities at night is about three times as high as is the risk of such instances when it is light out. In many cases, the issue is simply that by the time that the pedestrian is visible to the driver, there is not enough time for the motorists to react, and for the brakes to slow down or stop the car before it collides with the victim.
There is some indication that pedestrians are visible sooner if they are wearing bright-colored clothing. In some cases, the difference between dark and light clothes may mean the difference between life and death.
Another issue is that pedestrians may cross in places where drivers do not expect them. In these cases, the reaction time can be even longer, and the risk of a crash may be more significant. Pedestrians can reduce their risk of being a victim by opting to only cross in locations that are marked and well lit.
Drivers may not be very good at identifying pedestrians in the road, but hopefully, in the near future, cars will be able to identify people and prevent many of these crashes. While such systems are not yet capable of avoiding many pedestrian incidents, they are improving.
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.wspa.com/news/pedestrian-dies-in-early-morning-spartanburg-co-crash/
https://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/pedestrian.html
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/cars-make-progress-in-pedestrian-detection/