Every year, New Year’s revelers are warned about the risks of drunk driving. But what about drunk walking?
The risks of being a pedestrian on New Year’s Day are rarely discussed, but the issue was recently highlighted by my colleague Anahad O’Connor in his “Really?” column.
It’s a little known fact that Jan. 1 is the deadliest day of the year for pedestrians. A fascinating 2005 article in Injury Prevention looked at accident data in the United States from 1986 to 2002 and found that 410 pedestrians were killed on New Year’s Day during the period. And 58 percent of the pedestrians killed had high blood alcohol concentrations. The second riskiest day for walkers is Halloween.
An average of 24 pedestrians are killed on New Year’s Day. While that may not sound like a major risk, the Injury Prevention article also points out that the fall and winter months are particularly treacherous for pedestrians. Between 1986 and 2002, the top 10 deadliest days for pedestrians occurred between October and January. And in 2006, 61,000 pedestrians were injured in motor vehicle crashes in the United States and 4,784 pedestrians were killed. Pedestrian accidents comprise about 11 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths each year.
Clearly, drunk driving is a bigger risk thank drunk walking. For people who have been drinking, it is safer to walk than to get behind the wheel or ride with a driver who has also been drinking.
But other research shows that alcohol is often a factor in pedestrian deaths year-round. According to the Insurance Institute, “the contribution of alcohol to pedestrian deaths is major.” In 2006, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians 16 and older had blood alcohol concentrations at or above 0.08 percent. And among pedestrians killed in nighttime accidents, 54 percent had high blood alcohol levels.
The Insurance Institute offers this easy to read Q&A about pedestrian accident risks.
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From 1 to 25 of 90 Comments
What about the drivers who hit the pedestrians? I’m sure some of them had elevated BACs.
FROM TPP — According to the Insurance Institute, 15 percent of pedestrian deaths involved drivers with a BAC at or above 0.08 percent. It’s not clear how many of the deaths involved both drivers and pedestrians who were intoxicated.
— rini10Drunk walkers put themselves at risk, as I am personally all too aware, having endured the death of my remarkble but alcoholic 16 year old goddaughter who basically walked in the path of a car (driven by a 70 year old) and died. (She was wearing a full-length black coat and thus not esp. visible. She also may have darted into his path as she tried to get a taxi.)
Pedestrians should WEAR WHITE AT NIGHT so that they are more easily visible to aging drivers (loss of vision happens by 50 and some people never have decent depth perception) .
In fact, it’s just that issue that I wish our Nanny Mayor and fashion designers would take on… My own sense is there would be at fewer pedestrian deaths at night if people were visible.
It just takes one person paying attention to prevent an accident!
(I am interested in people who get drunk, fall asleep in snow drifts and freeze to death, any statistics?)
— “Hetty Green”Really? How many of these pedestrians, while perhaps drunk, had the right of way? How many were in situations where the motorist that slammed into them with their several tons of hurtling steel could have stopped if he or she had been paying attention and/or not speeding and/or not breaking other traffic laws? How many were in locales where official refusal to acknowledge walking meant that there was no sidewalk, streets are built wide and straight to encourage unattentive high-speed driving, or that speed limits were high despite the presence of pedestrians/city life? How many were in locales where police enforcement of traffic laws, not least of which the rule demanding that cars yield to pedestrians, is near nonexistent?
It’s said that when you hand someone a hammer, everything becomes a nail. The people in charge of this country, including “injury reduction specialists” are almost uniformly completely addicted to motoring and thus have complete windshield perspective. This blame the victim report is another great example.
— Paul HDrunk walking has to cost the health care system dearly as well. I have a good friend who despite being in her early 30’s has not left the undergrad lifestyle behind. About once a year or so she sends me cell phone shots of her oh-so-funny injuries from an ER along with the details on how much she drank and where it occured. In the past three years she has knocked out her two front teeth, got concussed and had three bad cuts that required stitches. That’s two MRIs and countless ER charges. It’s got to add up. And no, despite our pleas, she really doesn’t think she has a drinking problem…
— Shawhmmmmm….. how’ bout some new fashion items some bars should give out free at the end of the night - a bright orange parka with the bar’s name on the back and maybe a basball hat with a blinking red light on top.
— MikeHow about drunk sleepers? They often fall out of bed!
— JJNew Years & Halloween?
What about St Patricks Day, that other Amateur Drinkers Holiday?
FROM TPP — Interesting point, but St. Patricks’ Day didn’t make the top 10.
— PeterRemember the dram act, when referring to WWIntox. Also, any establishment/business serving/selling liquor legally should purchase liquor law liability; also, homewonwers can purchase host liquor liability for their parties - it’s well worth the money you pay for premiums. Have a safe and fruitful new year. :) Ken Hill, Port Orchard, WA.
— ken hillCelebrate New Year’s with a cup of (decaf; it’s bedtime) coffee.
Everyone walking at night should wear fluorescent orange, yellow, or reflectorized garments or anklets. Construction workers and heavy equipment operators now wear them in the daytime too. Buy them where bicycling gear is sold.
Drunks freezing to death in the snow (Comment 2) are very common in Russia, where both the weather and the alcohol problems are much worse than in the US. Alcohol also increases the rate of bodily heat loss.
— Jonathan KatzI would hope this is obvious both to drivers and to partiers: Walking along city streets requires a lot of life-or-death decisions to be made. When you’re intoxicated, you’re just not going to make all of them correctly. That increases the likelihood of getting hit dramatically.
I also wonder how many of those drunk pedestrians were on their way to their cars?
— Janet VMaybe there are just more walkers on these days, which accounts for higher fatalities.
— More walkersMacauley Culkin’s sister Dakota stepped in front of a car on Lincoln Blvd. in front of Brennan’s Pub last month. Speeds on Lincoln are typically 50mph.
The driver of the SUV was sober.
— TomJanuary 1 may be the deadliest day of the year, but it’s not clear that it’s the riskiest day of the year for pedestrians. Without knowing the number of pedestrians on any given day, it’s not possible to assess the risk by just knowing the number of deaths (you need to know the denominator as well as the numerator to know the fraction). This doesn’t take away from the point that January 1 presents many risks to pedestrians from drunkeness to drunk drivers, to bad weather.
My guess is that Halloween is a deadly day for pedestrians not because it’s a risky day to walk, but because there are so many pedestrians walking at night on that day of the year.
— Gene H.Commenter #5 hit the nail on the head. Statistically speaking, it has to be a significant factor that more people are out walking (just like Halloween).
— More walkers is correctI plan to celebrate the new year by drunk walking, chain smoking, and eating spoonfuls of crisco.
I am Legend.
FROM TPP — I’m not sure ‘legend’ would have been my word choice.
— agThe real Killer is the TAX generated thru the sale of alcohol….knowing what our governments are capable of…..keeps me sober…….it is so easy for them to divide and conquer drunk and hateful nation.
— Jim F.I think the lesson here is that excessive alcohol consumption kills. My uncle, an experieced swimmer, drowned while swimming drunk. Whether you drive, walk, run, or even swim, if you’re drunk, you’re a danger to yourself and others.
— AngelaMIf a pedestrian is heavily intoxicated, there’s a good chance he or she is also distracted, not paying attention, or otherwise not using good judgement.
Many pedestrian deaths could probably be avoidable if the victim had been more alert. I know I’ve been guilty of the same lapses, and have been fortunate enough not to pay the price.
— egit#9 said: “Everyone walking at night should wear fluorescent orange, yellow, or reflectorized garments or anklets. ”
Ridiculous, but it would be fun to see it… imagine Manhattan full of these glowing, neurotically apprehensive people.
— Nick - NYCYeah, gotta say that I find this just a bit annoying. I’ve been hit by moving vehicles while walking four times. never once was I intoxicated. I’ve been hit by moving vehicles while riding a bicycle about the same number. Never once was I intoxicated. Each time the driver had an economic stake in going through the red light or in turning recklessly. Each time I had the right of way.
Personally I think that the sort of moving violations that these involved should be treated as akin to attempted homicide. Criminally negligent attempted homicide.
Pedestrians should wear white? Screw that.
Pedestrians should have carry permits. If it was going to cost the driver to take the risk, maybe there would be less risks taken.
— M.Lets get wasted WHOO WHOO!
— addnycTara, I believe your point is most important. Especially so given that The New York Times insists on glamorizing alcoholism practically every day.
Doing ANYTHING drunk is a societal tragedy. For every alcoholic, and yes, dear reader, your daily drinking does make you an alcoholic, there is a group of codependent people who suffer because of your habit. Many of them are children.
As to New Year’s Eve and Manhattan, the two are a deadly combination. My family and I haven’t gone out New Year’s Eve for decades. All over the island, people wander in the middle of streets all night searching for nonexistent cabs. Drunks menace innocents on mass transit.
Now that the money party is over, perhaps we can end the drinks party.
— Isaac OThe reality is that more than one-third of pedestrian fatlities in New York State are alcohol-related. It may well be better for intoxicated people to walk than drive, but it is at their own peril.
— steveI expect alcohol is a factor, but less so than others. On New Year’s Eve, many parts of the country will be covered in ice and snow. This is generally not the case on Halloween, the second-leading pedestrian danger day, or St. Patrick’s, the other major drinking holiday. And it’s very easy to take a spill on the ice, even when sober!
Perhaps for safety’s sake instead of mandating hunter orange parkas and reflector tape, we should just suggest that party-goers use handrails and wear well-treaded shoes (instead of skinny, ridiculous clubbing heels!).
— KarenOh my, the world is a dangerous place. You can be hurt by drunk drivers, drunk walkers, being drunk, peanuts, nurses, having babies.
Whatever is the point of this drivel?
— rjz