When you walk to and from your car at the grocery store, you’re a pedestrian. When you take a jog, you’re a pedestrian. When you jump on your bike for a quick trip to town, you’re also a pedestrian.
You get the point. There are many times throughout the day when you’re a pedestrian.
While it’s important to enjoy yourself, it’s critical that you take steps to maintain your safety.
Here are some of the many things you can do:
- Familiarize yourself with common causes of car-pedestrian accidents: This includes things such as speeding, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals, failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and inclement weather.
- Stay alert: It doesn’t matter where you are, remaining alert is critical to your safety. For example, if you’re walking on a crowded city sidewalk, pay close attention to turning vehicles as you approach a crosswalk.
- Avoid distractions: This goes along with staying alert. Don’t talk on your phone, text or listen to loud music when you should be paying attention to what’s happening around you. Just the same as drivers, pedestrians should avoid distractions while in motion.
- Cross the road at crosswalks: If at all possible, you should always use a crosswalk to get from one side of the road to the other. Vehicles are required by law to stop for you, which makes it the safest place to cross. Just remember that not every driver follows the law. Someone could attempt to drive through a crosswalk while you’re in it.
- Obey traffic signals: If you’re standing at a street corner waiting to cross, don’t do so until the “walk” signal is activated. If the signal says “don’t walk,” obey it even if you don’t see any vehicles in the area.
Even if you’re a vigilant pedestrian with a clear focus on your safety, you could still suffer a serious injury in an accident with a motor vehicle.
Should this happen, you must call for help and receive immediate medical treatment. You could be dealing with serious injuries such as a traumatic brain injury, broken bones and deep lacerations and abrasions.
After your health is stable, revisit the accident, learn more about your legal rights and take action against the negligent driver.