Raleigh Announces Plans to Prevent More North Carolina Pedestrian Fatalities by Improving Capital Boulevard
The city of Raleigh wants to spend $420,000 on making road improvements to Capital Boulevard. The 10-mile stretch—going from Durant Road to Peace Street—is the most deadly stretch of road for pedestrians in Wake County.
In the last five years, at least eight pedestrians have died in North Carolina’s capital city while trying to cross Capital Boulevard.
Improvements will include:
• On Brentwood Road: Adding two refuge islands and pedestrian-activated signals at the intersection
• Millbrook Road, Calvary Drive, and Spring Forest: Adding refuge islands, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals
• Bufaloe Road: Adding pedestrian-activated signals at the intersection
The Raleigh City Council has approved the improvements, and now the city will need the approval of the state to implement the changes.
In the United States, there were 4,881 pedestrian fatalities and 64,000 pedestrian injuries in 2005. 70% of the pedestrians who died were men. 48% of all pedestrian deaths took place on a Friday, a Saturday, or a Sunday.
If you or someone you love is a pedestrian who was seriously injured on the road in a traffic accident involving a car, truck, motorcycle, or because any other party acted negligently or carelessly, you should speak with a personal injury attorney right away to determine whether you have grounds to file a pedestrian accident claim.
Injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident can be life-altering if not fatal. Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and internal injuries are just some of the many kinds of injuries that can result in a pedestrian-related crash.
The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center offers a number of suggestions for how pedestrians can stay safe on the roads:
• Avoid walking in freeways and areas restricted to pedestrians.
• Cross streets where there are stop signs and crosswalks.
• If you have to walk on the road, walk in the direction that faces oncoming traffic.
• Pay attention. Not all drivers will be watching the roads carefully.
• Cross the roads carefully even when you have the right of way and the motor vehicles on the road are supposed to be stopped.
Capital to become safer for pedestrians, Newsobserver.com, August 21, 2007
Pedestrian Crash Facts, Walkinginfo.org
Pedestrian Safety Tips, Highway Safety Research Center
Related Web Resource:
Designing New Roadways, IIHS.org (PDF)
