On September 13th, 1899, Henry Bliss was struck and killed by an electric car in NYC and thus became the first person in North America to be killed by an automobile. Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 pedestrians are killed by cars, and 110,000 are injured. Read the report.
One of our pages, here on the Drive And Stay Alive website, is aimed at drivers from other countries who are visiting the United States and it describes the potential dangers at crosswalks (i.e. pedestrian crossings) in America (right).
Photograph courtesy of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
See also our page on the specific subject ofPedestrian Crossings and Crosswalks
As vehicles become ever safer for their occupants in Europe, more interest is being taken in pedestrian safety. But how much can technology achieve, and how much depends upon changing attitudes?
As many as 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed and a further 300,000 injured in [the fifteen member countries of] the European Community each year in road accidents.
The European Council and Parliament have now adopted proposals submitted by the European Commission to mitigate the severity of pedestrian injuries. All new vehicle models will have to pass several tests.
Full article here — Source: Road Safe
New York has the highest number of pedestrian deaths and injuries in the USA. In addition, pedestrian ends make up a majority of traffic deaths. Transport Alternatives is working to change these grim statistics.