Who doesn’t love going for a walk? Whether it is for exercise, commuting, or just to get out and enjoy the fresh air, walking can be a great mode of transportation as well as a way to stay healthy and take in the great outdoors. Pedestrians of California, we hope that you are safely reaping all of the many benefits that walking has to offer. To stay safe out there, we have compiled a list of tips.
Safety Tips for Pedestrians
The main tips for staying safe as a pedestrian involve visibility and awareness. Making yourself visible to other pedestrians, bicyclists, and, especially, to nearby vehicles is critical in being safe. This means that using pedestrian crosswalks is important. Well-marked crosswalks are more likely to bring driver awareness to a pedestrian crossing the street as opposed to a pedestrian jaywalking randomly across an unmarked portion of the road.
While nighttime may not be the best time to take a walk, sometimes it is necessary or a person just wants to enjoy a nighttime outing. If you go for a walk at night, making yourself as visible as possible remains critical. Drivers at night already struggle with visibility. They will have a difficult time seeing you as is. Consider wearing bright clothing. If the clothing has reflective strips, even better.
Pedestrians can also help stay safe by being aware of their surroundings. Just like drivers, pedestrians can easily be distracted by things such as phones and other devices. When your eyes are down on your phone, they are not looking around for hazards and other safety issues, such as oncoming vehicles, other pedestrians, and things like sidewalks in disrepair. Keep your eyes up and looking around.
Having headphones on to listen to music and other things can also be dangerous for a pedestrian. You will be hard-pressed to hear others around you giving you heads up about hazards coming your way. Say, for instance, a bicyclist is behind you and trying to give you notice that he or she is about to pass in front of you. Without the ability to hear their signal, you could easily be involved in a collision where everyone gets hurt.
Just as it is recommended that drivers be “defensive drivers” and anticipate what could be unsafe behaviors of other drivers, pedestrians could benefit from being “defensive walkers.” Never assume that a car sees you. Take the safest path available in light of an assumption that others may not see you or take the safest actions. In a parking lot, always be aware that a car backing up may not see you. It could save you from significant harm.
Personal Injury Attorneys
Pedestrians, we love that you are exercising and getting fresh air. We want you to stay safe out there. If anyone has harmed you by not taking the proper precautions to keep you and others safe and free of injury, the trusted personal injury team at Compass Law Group is here to fight for you. Contact us today.
