Seen At 11: Distracted Drivers Are Causing More Accidents – Here's How To Survive When The Worst Happens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It seems to happen almost every day, a pedestrian is mowed down by a car.

In a scene caught on shocking video just last month, a 13-year-old girl was slammed by a livery cab, and miraculously suffered only a fractured leg. But many others fare far worse and even lose their lives.

As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, there are two moves you can learn to survive a hit-and-run.

Pedestrians are struck by cars more than 150,000 times a year. Every two hours, one is killed.

"He came right out of his work boots," Lori Aliano remembered.

Robert Aliano was hit so hard that his body was tossed 50 feet in the air.

"They said he looked like a rag doll," Lori said.

At just 21, his mother Lori said he had his whole life to live for, but his injuries were so severe doctors told her he wouldn't get the chance.

"They told us to make funeral arrangements," Lori said.

AAA's Robert Sinclair said studies show increasingly that drivers think of being behind the wheel as down time.

"We're certainly seeing more crashes caused by distractions," he said, "And engage in texting, talking, and that sort of thing."

As they take their eyes off the road, pedestrians may have only a second or two to react, and that's if they even see the car coming.

A reaction that experts said, could potentially increase the odds of survival.

As a stuntwoman, Kristen Stadtlander has been hit by a car as many as 100 times.

The first thing she was taught to do, as a car approaches, hop with both feet.

"To avoid the bumper hitting your feet or knees," Bob Cotter, Hollywood Stunts, explained.

A little hop, believe it or not, can decrease the likelihood that you will be tossed up in the air.

"Bend your knees, get a little bit off the ground, and then roll onto the hood of the car," Cotter said.

Turning your back to the car, and sort of laying your body against the hood -- which is what the 13-year-old Brooklyn girl did -- can also help reduce the risk of greater injury, Cotter said.

"She had a lot of mass area to work with, a reaction like that is very good," Cotter said.

Nine years after his accident, Aliano still can't remember much.

"It was a big van, that's all I remember," he said.

Twenty operations later, Aliano is still working to recover from his injuries.

It's a process that includes sharing his story with students, not so they can increase their chances of survival, but so they can hopefully avoid being a victim.

Pedestrian deaths in the city have dropped slightly since the adoption of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero plan, which lowered the speed limit. Experts said pedestrians also need to take responsibility by putting away their phones while walking.