This Cause of Death Increased By 35% in Massachusetts Last Year

Massachusetts residents don't have the best reputation when it comes to driving and part of the reason for that could be the fact that we are always in a hurry. Massachusetts is always notorious for its traffic, especially in the Boston area.

While Massachusetts is famous for bad drivers, it's also famous for being one of the most regulated states, and those laws and regulations cover all aspects of life which of course includes driving.

Massachusetts has some of the most stringent laws regarding roadways and regulates everything from who can drive when they can drive, what they can drive, and how they can modify their vehicles. Now all of these laws are of course in place for people's safety but compared to some other states that let you put basically anything with wheels on the road, it can seem overbearing at times.

However, when it comes to pedestrian safety the strict rules of the road in Massachusetts are necessary, now more than ever. A startling statistic recently published in the Boston Globe has shone a bright light on an increasing problem on Massachusetts roads.

According to The Boston Globe, Pedestrian Deaths in Massachusetts Increased by 35% Last Year

There are many factors that cotribute to pedestrian deathers in Massachusetts. With help of experts from WalkBoston and Northeastern Univeristy, The Globe highlighted some contributing factors to this increase, check out some examples below.

• SUVS and large cars pose a more deadly threat to pedestrians due to their size and weight, more substantial blind sports which cause more extensive damage in collisions. SUV ownership also continues to increasing rapidly in the United States.
• Pedestrian (and vehicle) collisions are more frequent at intersections where there are no traffic lights. Crossing islands, or raised islands in the center of a street dividing two-way traffic, protect pedestrians and make it easier and safer to cross heavily-trafficked roads compared to crosswalks.
• Dedicating more space on roads exclusively for pedestrian, biker, and bus use simultaneously narrows streets, which experts say helps reduce fatalities by preventing cars from driving straight down roads at dangerous speeds.