Tag Archive for 'book'

Book released on Washington State Pedestrian Law

September 12, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:22 am - 1 Comment

For anyone who has been injured in a pedestrian or crosswalk accident, a new book has been written specifically for you:

Seattle attorney, Christopher M. Davis, has authored a new book written to help injury victims protect their legal rights after a pedestrian or crosswalk accident. The book, Right of Way: The Essential Guide to Pedestrian Accident Law in Washington State, is written to help victims of pedestrian collisions navigate the legal claims process.

“As an accident attorney some of the most tragic injury cases I see are those involving pedestrians and motor vehicles,” says Davis. “When a pedestrian has been injured in an accident the injures can be serious and long lasting. It is easy for victims and their families to be overwhelmed with the legal and insurance claims process that may ensue.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nationally 4,092 pedestrians were killed in preventable accidents in 2009. That averages to 11 people killed in fatal pedestrian collisions each day. Locally, Washington State Patrol reports a sharp spike in the number of pedestrian fatalities in Washington State. So far eight (8) pedestrians have lost their lives in District 7 in 2011.

In Right of Way, Davis offers basic facts about typical accident claims involving pedestrians; defines the legal and settlement process for crosswalk accident claims; gives tips on dealing with insurance companies; offers insight into how pedestrian claims are valued; and discusses common questions and legal issues that are often present in cases involving pedestrians, as well as the common pitfalls and traps to avoid. Davis also helps pedestrian accident victims understand the pros and cons of hiring an attorney to represent their case.

The book is published by Word Association Press and is available for $24.95 at Amazon.com.

From the description on Amazon:

Seattle attorney Chris Davis’ Right of Way: The Essential Guide to Pedestrian Accident Law in Washington State is without a doubt the best and most complete guide I have ever read on pedestrian accident cases. This is a ‘must read’ for anyone who has been injured in a pedestrian or crosswalk accident. The information will help you understand the insurance claims process, learn your legal rights, and give you vital information that will help maximize the value of your personal injury settlement.

If you were involved in a collision as a pedestrian, you could be eligible to receive a free book. Or, it can be purchased at Amazon.com.

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Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt

October 20, 2010: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:29 am - 1 Comment

The book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt, goes into a lot of detail about driving behavior. While it mostly covers motor vehicle traffic, it talks about a few things that may be of interest to people on foot.

It spends some time talking about Dutch woonerven where people on foot and on bicycles share the space with people in cars, creating a calmer and safer environment than typical roadways for everyone.

It also provides some insight into crosswalks, showing that unmarked crosswalks may actually be safer for pedestrians:

Studies do show that motorists are more likely to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks than at unmarked crosswalks. But as University of California – Berkeley researchers David Ragland and Meghan Fehlig Mitman found, that does not necessarily make things safer. When they compared the way pedestrians crossed at both kinds of crosswalks on roads with considerable traffic volumes, they found that people at unmarked crosswalks tended to look both ways more often, waited more often for gaps in traffic, and crossed the road more quickly. Researchers suepect that both drivers and pedestrians are more aware that drivers should yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks (even though 35% of drivers polled did not know this). But neither are aware of this fact when it comes to unmarked crosswalks. Not knowing traffic safety laws, it turns out, is actually a good thing for pedestrians. Because they do not know whether cars are supposed to stop – or if they will – they act more cautiously. Marked crosswalks, by contrast, may give pedestrians an unrealistic picture of their own safety.

Another interesting fact is that if you cross the street without looking, you’re less likely to be hit, though I wouldn’t recommend that.

The book is worth a read if you’d like to learn about safer roadway design, the lack of effectiveness of street-signs, and the causes and dangers of driver inattentiveness, just to name a few of the topics covered.

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