Out of everyone who shares the street, you as a pedestrian are the most vulnerable of all, most especially if you get hit by a vehicle, as you aren’t enclosed inside a metal box or wearing any protective gear. In fact, your chances of getting killed while commuting by foot on the street are relatively high, so much so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in 2016 information that states that at least one pedestrian dies from vehicular accident-related injuries every two hours. You’ll want to be on streets as a pedestrian without getting put in harm’s way by following these tips on how to keep yourself safe.
- When crossing to the other side of a street, use only the designated pedestrian lane if there is one.
To reduce the risk of pedestrian accidents, road safety officials may have painted certain sections of the streets in your neighborhood with white bars, thus marking them as pedestrian lanes.
- Most drivers instantly yield whenever they see someone walking along a pedestrian lane.
- Instead of risking your life and legal trouble as well by crossing an unmarked portion of a street, you should use the designated pedestrian lane.
- A pedestrian lane doesn’t absolutely protect you from getting caught in an accident though, so you’ll still have to watch out for any reckless drivers who might disregard the said road safety measure.
- Rid yourself of all distractions while walking along the street.
Part of your responsibility as a pedestrian, of course, is always to be aware of your surroundings and be on the lookout for anything that can endanger your life.
- By checking your phone or listening to music while walking along a street, you’re letting your guard down and opening yourself up to the potential of getting caught in an accident.
- So when walking along a street, you should focus on that alone and not do anything else that can take your focus off your safety.
- Walk alongside your fellow pedestrians instead of going it alone if possible.
Crossing a road alone also opens you up to the risk of getting caught in an accident, most especially as some reckless drivers might not care that much about injuring someone who’s by their lonesome compared to a crowd of foot commuters, who they’ll think twice about hitting.
- There’s safety in numbers, after all, so you should surround yourself with people when walking along a street as much as you can.
- But if you’re walking along a street at a time when there aren’t as many people, you should go back to the previous two tips to protect yourself from harm.
Walking is one of the simplest exercises that you can do in your neighborhood. It also saves you a considerable amount of money and gas, especially if your destination is reachable by foot in only an hour or even less.
However, walking along streets also opens you up to the risk of getting hit by an approaching vehicle whose driver might not have seen you at all. To protect yourself from becoming a victim of a pedestrian accident, you should always keep in mind the above-listed tips on how to keep yourself safe on streets as a pedestrian. Otherwise, you should consider getting yourself a lawyer, who can help you earn your rightful compensation.
