While NYC pedestrian crashes have dropped off over the past five years, there are still about 100 pedestrian fatalities per year across the five boroughs. Shockingly, nearly half of these occur between 8 PM and 4 AM. While Project Zero still has a lot of work to do to eliminate pedestrian crashes, there are a few steps pedestrians can take to reduce their likelihood of being in a late-night crash.
Look at the Crosswalk
Drivers don’t always look at their surroundings before making a turn, especially in low visibility settings. Even if you have the WALK symbol, it’s wise to check the cross lane and make sure that any driver attempting to turn right has seen you and acknowledged you before you step off of the curb.
No Jaywalking
Jaywalking is dangerous enough during the day, but it is especially dangerous at night. Driver visibility is limited to headlights and street lights. Even with all the lights of NYC, pedestrians who jaywalk between streetlamps can be extremely difficult to see. For that reason, it’s important that pedestrians only cross at designated crosswalks, especially at night.
Make Yourself Visible
Nationwide, the majority of pedestrians struck by cars after 8 PM were wearing dark clothes. Some of these crashes occurred for the same reason as above, the driver had low visibility and dark clothes made the pedestrian even more difficult to be seen, but that still does not excuse the driver’s negligence.
When going out at night, it’s often wise to incorporate more color into your outfit. Include lighter, high-visibility colors like whites, reds, yellows, or orange. If you’re regularly out at night or enjoy biking in the dark, you may want to invest in high-visibility neon safety clothes. These clothes will make you much more visible to drivers and potentially reduce the risk of a crash.
Bicyclists should have reflectors on their bikes as well as front and rear lights. These are inexpensive and easy to install (even on ride share bikes) and could prevent severe injury.
If you or someone you love were struck by a car, you need affordable representation from a team you can trust. If you’d like an experienced New York City injury accident attorney from Koenigsberg & Associates Law Offices to evaluate your case, don’t hesitate to call us at (718) 690-3132 or send us an email!