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Alcohol factors into nearly half of pedestrian deaths

Pedestrian accidents carry a high probability of death. Pedestrians face incredible risks when hit at any speed. Even low speeds can be fatal and high speeds are deadly much of the time. To prevent these tragic deaths, it’s important to know why the accidents happen and how to avoid them because there is little that a pedestrian can do to reduce injury during a crash. They have to prevent the crash from happening.

To this end, it’s important to note the major role that alcohol plays in these accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48% of deadly pedestrian accidents — just under half — involve alcohol. This was accounting for use by either the driver or the person who was hit. It also stands to reason that some accidents involved alcohol use by both parties.

With drivers who were legally impaired and should not have been behind the wheel — they had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher — the studies found that this applied to 13% of all drivers in these accidents. It also applies to about 33% of pedestrians, or one out of every three people to lose their lives.

This information can act as a warning to pedestrians to avoid alcohol use. It can impair their judgment and put them in harm’s way.

However, this also shows that even careful, sober pedestrians still face risks from drunk drivers. Even minor impairment can be enough to cause a crash. When these people suffer serious injuries, they have to know what rights they have to financial compensation.

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