The city of Denver, Colorado, has its share of foot traffic just like other busy cities. With people bustling back and forth, running errands, making their way to work and other activities, jaywalking is bound to happen. Jaywalking usually occurs when pedestrians cross a street in violation of pedestrian traffic laws. An example of this is crossing the street at an intersection when the “Don’t Walk” signal is flashing, or crossing outside of a designated crosswalk.
Jaywalking through the streets of Denver does not seem like a big deal and many think it should not be considered a traffic offense. However, these pedestrian traffic laws are in place to keep citizens safe from a traffic-related accident. Unbeknownst to many, jaywalking is a serious safety problem across the United States.
In fact, some statistics say that someone dies in the nation due to an auto-pedestrian collision every 113 minutes on average. Pedestrian accident injuries occur approximately every eight minutes in America. These two statistics alone are very telling. They show that a pedestrian is more likely to die from a motor vehicle collision than be injured and that is a serious problem.
Jaywalking is one of the most common unsafe pedestrian accidents, but as Denver residents already know, negligent driving is also a major problem in the United States. As citizens cannot stop people from driving negligently, it makes sense to obey all pedestrian traffic laws–even jaywalking–to increase the chance of safe travels.
As always, it is wise turn to a personal injury attorney for advice and guidance if you have been injured in a pedestrian accident through no fault of your own.
Source: Center for Problem Oriented Policing, “Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities,” Justin A. Heinonen and John E. Eck, accessed Oct. 29, 2015