Back in January we discussed the problem of pedestrians who run across freeways, and the terrible outcome that often follows. It’s hard to fathom why anyone would do something so dangerous.
This morning, Chron.com carried a story by Dane Schiller and Lise Olsen about the problem. Their story includes statistics, interviews with experts, and a look at the effects on drivers who have hit someone through no fault of their own.
A Houston Chronicle analysis of Houston Police Department reports from 2005 through 2007 shows that 84 people were killed while walking along or across the city’s freeways and access roads.
Although pedestrians are dying on the freeway at a rate of about two per month, only a few incidents capture attention, such as the motorcycle officer hit while issuing a ticket or the 12-year-old who was killed, police said, while playing a traffic-dodging game.
Some crossers died seeking shortcuts. Their deaths left some drivers haunted for years.
[snip]
Over the past three years, most of those killed were men trying to cross highways at night, according to the analysis. About half died on the weekend. Four were children or teens; four were over 70. Their average age was around 40.
Based on an inspection of stretches of highways with multiple deaths, many victims try to cross where the roadways are level with feeder roads.
And this afternoon there’s a new story on Chron.com — a pedestrian was killed on the North Freeway today at about 2 p.m.
