Pedestrian Safety
A national problem (ref.
1995 data)
6,000 pedestrians are killed every year.
90,000 pedestrians are injured every year.
A pedestrian or bicyclist is killed or injured every 3 to 4 minutes.
Pedestrian injuries and fatalities result in $20 billion in societal costs.
Who dies as a
pedestrian?
58 percent are working adults.
23 percent are elderly persons ages 65 or older.
19 percent are children up to the age of 19.
FOLLOW THE PEDESTRIAN "RULES OF THE ROAD"
Just like motorists, pedestrians are expected to follow certain rules of the road, including:
- Pedestrians are to use sidewalks whenever they are safely available.
- When sidewalks are unavailable, pedestrians must walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
- Pedestrians must obey traffic signals and/or traffic officers.
- At crosswalks where there isn't a traffic control signal or officer, pedestrians have the right-of-way.
- If there aren't any crosswalks, signs or signals, the pedestrian must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles.
- Regardless of the right-of-way, the driver is required by law to take great care to avoid "hitting" pedestrians.
How Drivers Can Make the Streets Safer for Pedestrians?
- Yield to pedestrians. Do not attempt to pass in front of or around pedestrians while they are in a crosswalk.
- Obey the posted speed limit. The risk of a pedestrian dying or being seriously injured from a collision rises rapidly with increasing speeds.
- Do not overcome or pass cars stopped at an intersection as these cars may be stopped for pedestrians. Pedestrians may get caught in an intersection when the light changes due to their age, a physical handicap, or a poorly timed crossing signal.
- When stopping at an intersection, stop well short of the crosswalk so as not to block pedestrian crossing signals.
- When making a right turn at a red light make sure to look to the right, as well as left, so as not to miss a crossing pedestrian.
- When operating a radio, cellular telephone, or lighting a cigarette, be attentive to pedestrians walking along the edge of a roadway. Doing any of these can divert a driver’s attention long enough to hit a pedestrian.
- Watch for pedestrians who are walking with traffic or who are wearing headphones as they may not be aware of approaching vehicles
- In rainy conditions, be aware that pedestrians may have more difficulty seeing vehicles especially if items such as umbrellas block their vision.
- Be vigilant in areas where children may dart out unexpectedly into traffic. These include residential and school areas, near school buses, and around ice cream trucks.