PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Cars have crashed into a number storefronts over the last week in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, signaling a terrifying trend that one expert believes can easily be avoided.
Robert Reiter of the Storefront Safety Council tells 12 News these crashes happen more often than people think.
Nationwide, Reiter estimates that that cars crash into storefronts roughly 100 times each day.
“Every year, about 2,600 people are killed,” he said. “Every year, about 16,000 people are injured.”
Rhode Island and Massachusetts have seen a number of crashes over the last few weeks.
Back in October, a former Dollar Tree employee stole a car and crashed it through the entrance of his former workplace, narrowly missing a young girl who was walking by.
Just last week, one man was killed and 19 people were injured after a car plowed through the front window of an Apple store.
Reiter said crashes like these could easily be avoided by either redesigning shopping centers or installing protective barriers.
“A simple barrier between the parking lot and the sidewalk takes away all the risk to pedestrians and the risks to those in side the store,” he explained.
Reiter said everyone should always be aware of their surroundings, since these crashes can happen anywhere and impact anyone.