Pedestrian Safety
The safety of pedestrians is a shared responsibility. Both pedestrians and motorists must do their part to reduce the number of tragic traffic incidents. While drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, pedestrians must also follow the law when they cross a street.
Motorists
- Exercise due care to avoid collisions with pedestrians
- Slow down and be prepared to stop at crosswalks
- Yield to pedestrians within crosswalks
- Be prepared for pedestrians to suddenly leave a curb and walk or run into the path of your vehicle
- Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk
Pedestrians
- Use only designated crosswalks
- Look left, right, and left again before stepping into crosswalk
- Be sure to evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before crossing to ensure that vehicles had adequate distance to stop safely
- Give drivers adequate time and distance to react and stop so do not suddenly leave a curb and walk or run into the path of a vehicle (safe stopping distance for a vehicle traveling 25 mph is more than 100 feet when considering reaction time of driver)
- Never assume that motorists are aware you are in the crosswalk
- Always try to make eye contact with motorists and proceed with caution
- Always remain alert and use good judgment when crossing any street or roadway
- Using headphones, texting or talking on cell phones while walking are all distractions that impair your ability to react to traffic