What steps can Sacramento pedestrians take to stay safe?
Earlier this week, we provided some bicycle safety tips from the California Department of Motor Vehicle. However, bicyclists aren’t the only ones who are extremely vulnerable in accidents with motor vehicles. Pedestrians, too, face a great danger when sharing the roads with vehicle.
In fact, more than 4,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in the United States during the year 2010 alone. Another 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents. Additionally, older adults and children are most at risk for pedestrian accidents, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
Here are some tips from the CDC on how pedestrians of all ages can help protect themselves from becoming part of these grave statistics:
- When walking at night, the most dangerous time for pedestrian accidents, pedestrians should carry a flashlight or wear retro-reflective clothing.
- Whenever available, pedestrians should only use a designated crosswalk to cross the street.
- When sidewalks are available, make sure to use them. When there is no sidewalk, walk in the street facing traffic.
Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has some tips for drivers on what they can do to help keep pedestrians safe:
- Always be on the lookout for pedestrians, especially in times when they might be hard to see like at night and during bad weather.
- Use caution and slow down when approaching crosswalks and other areas like street corners where pedestrians are likely to be.
- Make sure to stop at the crosswalk stop line so that other drivers have the chance to slow down and see pedestrians who are crossing.
- Be mindful of pedestrians when backing up. Shorter pedestrians like young children can be hard to see.