Take steps to be safe when walking on roadways.
Pedestrians of all ages are at risk of injury or death from traffic crashes. To reduce the chance of an accident, remember the following tips:
- Know what the walk signals mean.
Start Crossing
Don’t Start or Finish Crossing if Started
Don’t Cross
- See and Be Seen. Make eye contact with the drivers in the intersection. Make sure they see you and know when you are going to cross the street.
- Wearing headphones or using an electronic device while walking can impede your alertness at an intersection. Be aware as you begin to cross the road – know where all the cars are and what they are doing.
- Don’t always assume you have the right of way. A driver could be distracted, impeded or disregarding road laws.
Look to Live. No matter the intersection, low-traffic or high, always look up and be aware of what the cars are doing.
Safety Tips for Parents
- When walking with children, select a walking route with less traffic and intersections
- Wear bright-colored clothes, and carry flashlights or wear reflective gear if it is dark or hard to see.
- Understand your child’s limitations. They may not be able to judge speed and distance from oncoming traffic accurately. They are also smaller and harder for drivers to see. Children learn through experience, teach them the safe way to walk to school.
- Teach children not to enter the street from between cars or from behind bushes or shrubs. Darting into the street accounts for the majority of child pedestrian fatalities.
- If your child rides a school bus, teach them safety rules for waiting at the bus stop, getting on and off the bus, and riding the bus. (Never wait for the school bus in the roadway.)
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