According to reports, one of the common causes of motor vehicle fatalities in accidents involving pedestrians on crosswalks. Many of these accidents occur on the weekends during the evening hours. Often drivers fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks or fail to see the pedestrian in the crosswalk before hitting them. Statistics indicate that young people under the age of 16 are the most likely victims of pedestrian accidents. However, while the elderly are less likely to be involved in pedestrian accidents, they are more likely to die as a result of injuries sustained in these accidents. While many pedestrian accidents occur at intersections with crosswalks, many accidents happen on the roadways and streets.

Pedestrians should take great caution when crossing the street, while they are in crosswalks, and when they are walking along the nation’s roadways. A pedestrian’s legal rights are severely impacted when they are crossing a street and are not in the crosswalk. Many cases  have found that when a walker is outside the crosswalk at the time of impact with the car, that the victim is contributorily negligent- which in, bars any recovery by the victim or the victim’s family. Both drivers and pedestrians have a responsibility to obey traffic laws, but pedestrians have a greater need to follow the laws and be aware of their surroundings. Speeding is generally a significant factor in pedestrian accidents, and distracted drivers (like texting) are another chief contributor to motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians. When a driver does not adhere to established motor vehicle laws and acts carelessly with the safety of others, the driver can be charged with negligence or even a criminal offense. If it can be proven that the driver acted negligently and the negligence resulted in injury to another, the driver may be held liable for significant financial damages.