Every year in this country, motor vehicles kill more than 6,000 pedestrians - a troubling figure for both foot travelers and motorists.
But trouble like this is what drivers like you don't need.
To avoid it, start by understanding some of the why's and where's of motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions.
Driver error accounts for many casualties among walkers, bicyclists, skate-boarders and the like. Yet safety experts advise that pedestrians frequently contribute to their own danger. When you're at the wheel, it's important to appreciate that the pedestrians you see might:
- Un-Aware: Paying more attention to listening, talking, or sightseeing than the danger around them.
- Un-prepared: lacking the physical or intellectual tools to cope with motorized traffic. Young children are at special peril, and the elderly even more so - with people over 70 years old having the highest pedestrian death rate of any age group.
- Un-predictable: Taking the wrong actions for the conditions at hand. At high risk here are children - notorious for dashing between cars or darting into traffic
- Under the influence: Adding to their pedestrian hazards with excessive alcohol consumption. Nearly one-third of all fatally-injured pedestrians are intoxicated at the time they are killed.
Pedestrian accidents can happen just about anywhere. But these are the most likely places and conditions for them to occur:
- In urban areas, with high concentrations of motor vehicles and pedestrians.
- At mid-block, away from intersections. Heavy vehicles are an exception. They tend to have greater pedestrian risk at intersections, particularly while turning.
- In normal weather, stressing the need for alertness all the time.
- At night, where pedestrians' chances are jeopardized by poor visibility.
This background information can suggest steps that you as a driver might take to cut your risk of hitting a pedestrian. Among possible measures:
- Always drive appropriately for the conditions - and be aware of pedestrian hazards. Use extra caution at night.
- Keep in mind that pedestrians always have the right-of-way at intersection or crosswalks. Prepare to yield wherever they may cross your path.
- Beware of higher-risk sites - including schools, playground, parks, nursing homes, senior citizen communities, and parking lots.
- Pay attention when exiting driveways and alleys. Tap your hors to alert foot traffic.
- Have patience as you approach a vehicle halted at the crosswalk or intersection. Pedestrians may be crossing, but not visible to you.
- Exercise great care when executing turns of any kind - especially where it's permitted, turning right on a red light:
- Use your turn signal and scan the entire intersection left and right for foot and bicycle traffic.
- Make a point of using your mirrors left and right to detect foot traffic in your blind spots.
- Just before starting to turn, check your right side again - roadway, sidewalks, crosswalks, blind spots - for those who may have come into view while you were scanning left for a break in traffic.
- In brief, you solution here is plain to see: Steer clear of pedestrians. For when there's traffic afoot, there's trouble ahead.