After a record year of Connecticut pedestrian accidents , state and city officials are doing everything they can to mitigate the risks for pedestrians throughout the state. In Hartford, that means a $19 million investment that is being made, via a federal grant, to improve safety and security for those who are walking or cycling throughout the city.
According to federal officials, 30% of all Hartford residents do not own a car and therefore are placing themselves at risk of being injured in pedestrian accidents and with these types of accidents on the rise it is vital for changes to be made to the city’s infrastructure. The work that is being funded by the grant is scheduled to begin next spring and will likely take two years to complete.
The city project will include improvements to curbs and sidewalks, changes to bus stops, landscaping improvements, facilities for bicycles, lighting improvements among other changes. These changes are designed to make the section of the city between Earle St. and the Windsor line safer for pedestrians who are walking or riding bikes.
Improvements like these are being made throughout the state to address the growing problem of pedestrian accidents that are plaguing our city streets. There are steps that officials can make to change circumstances, but there are also steps pedestrians can take to put themselves in a safer position. Some of these steps you can take if you’re out and about in the streets of our towns and cities include the following;
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Never cross the street when there are no markings for you to be able to cross the street. You should always cross where there are lights or a crosswalk and if neither of those are available you should make sure you are crossing at an intersection where cars may be more alert for pedestrian activity.
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Wear brightly colored clothing or reflective clothing. If you are out at night especially, you will want to make sure you can be seen clearly by on-coming traffic. If you are wearing dark clothing it will be much more difficult to be seen and therefore you are putting yourself at risk.
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Always use sidewalks where possible. If a sidewalk doesn’t exist on the road you are walking on you should walk or run as far over to the side of the road as possible and always keep yourself out of harm's way. If it is a busy road, with no sidewalks you may even wish to consider a new route.
These are just some of the steps you can take to keep yourself safe when you’re out and about in the city you live in. Avoiding a Connecticut pedestrian accident takes all of us to be vigilant when we are driving and when we are the pedestrian. As of the last few years it is also going to take shifts in policies and investments in infrastructure to help communities resolve this growing problem that is seeing more and more pedestrians get injured and sadly lose their lives.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are injured you may need to seek the services of an experienced attorney who has seen situations like yours in the past. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will speak with you and work with you to protect your long-term interests.
