Men more likely to die in New Jersey pedestrian accidents

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Whenever a car is involved in a pedestrian accident, it is very likely that the pedestrian will experience serious personal injuries. This is especially true in the densely populated state of New Jersey. Quite simply, there are a lot of cars on New Jersey roadways, along with a lot of pedestrians. The combination can be deadly when a driver is negligent. According to a study of pedestrian accidents in New Jersey during the past eight years, men are more likely than women to be struck and killed by cars. Children are also involved in far too many New Jersey pedestrian accidents, but they are not as likely as adult males to suffer fatal injuries. The Rutgers University study analyzed accident data from 2003 through 2010, focusing only on those accidents that resulted in the death or injury of a pedestrian. In total, there were more than one thousand pedestrian fatalities during that time period, along with more than 40,000 non-fatal pedestrian injuries. Interestingly, between 2008 and 2010, the number of injury-causing accidents declined. This may have been because there were less vehicle miles traveled during the time period. It is also likely that New Jersey's crosswalk law, which requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, also contributed to the drop in pedestrian injuries. In fact, New Jersey police departments have been aggressive in pulling over drivers who violate the crosswalk law. This is one way that the safety of New Jersey pedestrians is being protected. Another way that the state of New Jersey is trying to encourage pedestrian safety is through its "complete streets" program. This program, adopted in 2009, requires that all roadway projects include safe access for all users of the roadway, including pedestrians and bicyclists. Hopefully, with these efforts the number of pedestrian accidents will continue to decline for the safety of all New Jersey residents. Source: NorthJersey.com, "Study: Men, child pedestrians more likely to be struck," Karen Rouse, Dec. 13, 2011