Staff
Last year was the worst year for car crashes in Philadelphia for 23 years. According to WHYY.FM, there was a 54% increase in accidents in the previous year and 119 fatalities, 40% of which were pedestrians and 60% were drivers. This is double the national average. The increase is somewhat surprising considering that the restrictions on travel and national advice to limit journeys unless they are essential. The recent car crash statistics have been compared to a public health crisis, and they have highlighted the desperate need to improve road safety and awareness in Philadelphia. If the city is going to reach the recently published “Vision Zero Plan” goal of zero deaths in a year, something needs to be done soon.
Personal injury claims
The cost of road accidents is high, and not just in the lives lost. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there are more than 59,000 personal injury crashes in the state every year. If you too have been involved in an accident, hiring a contingency lawyer can help. A contingency lawyer only gets paid if the personal injury case is successful. The financial cost of compensating injured parties helps to cover not only hospital costs, but also loss of earnings following an accident. This however, has a knock-on effect on the economy of Philadelphia and also increases the cost of insurance for other drivers in the area.
What is causing so many accidents?
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is one of the most common causes of car accidents. The steep ride in car crashes over the last year has partially been attributed to an increase in alcohol consumption. Other common causes of crashes include disobeying traffic signals, signs and laws, as well as traffic control devices. Many drivers fail to appreciate when there are hazardous driving conditions, particularly in the winter months when it snows in Philadelphia. Negligent and reckless driving is the other leading cause of crashes, including distracted driving whilst using a cellphone or other device.
The Vision Zero Plan
As a response to the worst year for traffic deaths in more than two decades, Philadelphia officials put out a plan to try and reduce traffic fatalities down to zero – the Vision Zero Plan. There are three main phases to this plan, the first is to expand automated speed enforcement throughout the city, to try and cut down the risk of a fatality if there is an accident. The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability also wants to introduce more neighborhood slow zones. The Vision Zero Plan also outlines proposals for hundreds more Indego bike share stations spread across Philadelphia. Since the Vision Zero Plan was put forward, speed cameras have been installed and protected bike lanes have been built in South Philly and Center City.
Measures are starting to be put into place to help lower the car crash statistics in the city of Philadelphia. It is important for everyone that there are far fewer fatalities in the future.