Research from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign shows that the most dangerous roads for pedestrians in Connecticut are U.S. 5 (four pedestrian deaths between 2008 and 2010) and the Boston Post Road (seven deaths). According to the study, the largest number of fatal pedestrian accidents occurred in East Hartford and Westport.
Both U.S. 5 and Route 1 (the Boston Post Road) are not designed for pedestrians and bicyclists. Instead, they are arterial routes, designed to move cars quickly from one place to another. Therefore, it is no surprise that these routes led to more Connecticut pedestrian accidents than others.
Between 2008 and 2010, New Haven County had the greatest number of pedestrian fatalities (38), followed by Hartford County (34) and Fairfield County (22).
While Connecticut has taken great strides to make our roads safe for pedestrians and bicyclists, there is always more to be done both locally and statewide. In recent years, Connecticut has passed a Complete Streets law. Bridgeport, Connecticut, also has a Complete Streets policy, which has already resulted in roads that are more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. Finally, Connecticut is currently working on corridor studies that are focused, at least in part, on bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Of course, even perfectly safe streets cannot prevent all pedestrian accidents.
Somewhere between 40 and 60 percent of all pedestrian accidents in Connecticut are caused by pedestrians. Pedestrians may be at fault when they jaywalk, walk along highways that are not meant for pedestrians, run out in front of cars or otherwise act negligently. However, that still leaves a large number of car accidents caused by motorists, many of whom simply were not paying attention when they hit a pedestrian.
If you have been injured or have lost someone in a pedestrian accident caused by a negligent motorist, you may be able to hold the motorist responsible for his or her actions through a personal injury lawsuit.
Source: Shoreline Times, “Routes 1 and 5: Most dangerous roads for pedestrians, data says,” Mark Zaretsky, Mar. 8, 2012.