Do You Travel One of New York’s Most Deadly Roads for Pedestrian Accidents?

While other traffic fatalities are declining, deadly pedestrian crashes increased in 2011. On average, a pedestrian was killed every two hours and injured every eight minutes in traffic crashes, according to the National Transportation Safety Administration.

The risk of a pedestrian accident varies by location and other factors. Urban environments, non-intersections and nighttime conditions pose the greatest threats. In New York, certain stretches of roadway are also more inherently dangerous than others.

According to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Nassau County’s SR-24 (Hempstead Turnpike) is the most dangerous road for pedestrians in Connecticut, New Jersey and downstate New York. The report analyzed pedestrian fatalities from 2009 to 2011. Other roads in New York with high rates of pedestrian accidents included:

• Broadway in New York County (Manhattan)
• State Route 25 (Jericho Turnpike) in Suffolk County
• State Route 27 (Sunrise Highway) in Nassau County
• State Route 110 (New York Avenue, Broadhollow Road and Broadway) in Suffolk County
• State Route 27 (Sunrise Highway, Montauk Point State Highway and County Route 39) in Suffolk County

The report highlights that road design plays a part in the accident rates on these roads. Almost 60 percent of the pedestrian fatalities in the region occurred on arterial roads, which often have at least two lanes in each direction and allow for vehicle speeds of 40 miles per hour or more. Outside of urban areas, these roads often lack pedestrian infrastructure like sidewalks, pedestrian countdown clocks, pedestrian islands or clearly marked crosswalks.

If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a pedestrian accident, the New York injury attorneys of Michael Sepe, LLC can investigate the cause of the crash and pursue compensation on your behalf from all of the responsible parties.