When going out for walks, most people do so with the intention of doing something good for their health. Walking is a low-stress, low-impact form of exercise that burns calories and builds muscle. Travelling on foot is also an excellent transportation choice for anyone interested in lowering their carbon footprint.
Sadly, however, lacking the protection of vehicles and their built-in safety features, pedestrians often suffer serious injuries when involved in car accidents. Understanding the common causes of pedestrian accidents can help both motorists and avid walkers avoid them.
Driving or Walking While Distracted
Multi-tasking while travelling is incredibly common. Many drivers text, make phone calls, search the Internet, and check emails while travelling. Even when using hands-free technologies for these activities, motorists are still unable to give the road their undivided attention. This limits their ability to respond to unexpected obstructions with timely evasive actions.
Distracted drivers are the main cause of pedestrian accidents. However, distracted pedestrians can be at fault, too. Walking while listening to loud music with headphones makes it hard for pedestrians to hear blaring horns, sirens, and other indications of danger. Thus, not only should motorists avoid multitasking, but those travelling on foot should pay full attention to their surroundings as well.
Pedestrians Who Wear Dark-Colored Clothing
Whether walking in the early morning hours or at night, pedestrians should always take care to avoid dark-coloured clothing. Black jackets and dark-coloured pants can make walkers blend seamlessly into their surroundings. All pedestrians and cyclists should wear light or bright-coloured clothing.
When travelling before the sun has risen or after it has set, pedestrians should wear jackets and other garments with bright reflective patches or other reflective elements.
Challenging Conditions
There is an infinite number of challenges that drivers are likely to encounter when travelling in their vehicles including:
- Slick, icy roads
- Foggy conditions that make it difficult to see
- Roads that lack adequate lighting
- Crosswalks that lack visible signals
- Poor or insufficient signage
- Badly maintained roads
- Congested traffic
- Other distracted drivers
Defensive driving is an effort to mitigate both known and unexpected dangers. Weather conditions that increase stopping distances and commute hours that are plagued with heavy and often fast-moving traffic are not the best times to schedule leisure walks. However, during these times and conditions, motorists should be ever-more careful to avoid hitting pedestrians.
Driving or Walking While Under the Influence
Whether you’re driving a car or travelling on foot, you should never start your journey while under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. Doing so can alter your judgment, slow your response times, and lead to erratic behaviour. When car accidents occur involving someone who’s inebriated or high, the person who’s known to be under the influence will often be held liable.
Backing-Up Accidents
Many modern vehicles have advanced, in-car technologies for identifying rear obstructions that are in the driver’s blind spot. These include rearview cameras that take the place of rearview mirrors and back-up cameras that supplement conventional mirrors.
Absent of these technologies, however, it’s all too easy to miss someone who’s passing by a vehicle as it’s pulling out of a driveway or parking space. This is especially true for small-sized pedestrians who cannot be easily spied through the rear window.
People who are struck by vehicles while walking frequently sustain debilitating and life-altering injuries. Pedestrians can protect themselves by constantly remaining alert of their surroundings, wearing the right clothing while travelling, and obeying the rules of the road.
Drivers should be extra diligent in their efforts to avoid hitting pedestrians by never operating their vehicles under the influence, and never driving while distracted. It is only when drivers and pedestrians work together that we will be able to significantly lower the risk of these tragic accidents.
