When you walk to the corner store to buy a soda and a candy bar on a Saturday afternoon – or when your children do so – you don’t expect a pedestrian versus car accident to happen. However, with more and more American drivers with their heads buried in their smartphones, or their heads fogged by marijuana intoxication, it seems that the risks of a pedestrian collision are higher than ever. Indeed, recent accident figures certainly support this notion.

According to the most recent car accident statistics, 2016 saw 6,000 pedestrian deaths. This figure is higher than it’s been in the last 30 years. In fact, pedestrian deaths have been at record highs for the last two years in the United States, but why?

Certain car accident and safety experts are blaming legal marijuana. They say that the prevalence of legal marijuana in some American states has led to wider use throughout the country, and this means that more motorists are high on pot while driving. Such intoxicated motorists are less likely to see and avoid pedestrians; therefore, legal pot could be contributing factor to the rise in pedestrian deaths.

There is also the widespread use of smartphones. Countless drivers continue to use and be distracted by their personal electronic devices, and these drivers are contributing to a rise in auto-related deaths across the board.

Were you or your loved one seriously injured by a motor vehicle while walking? Was your loved one killed in a pedestrian versus vehicle accident that wasn’t his or her fault? You might want to learn more about state personal injury and/or wrongful death laws to determine what your legal rights and options are.

Source: Vice, “Legal Weed Might Be Getting Pedestrians Killed, Study Finds,” Drew Schwartz, Feb. 28, 2018