There are many ways that pedestrians can reduce the risk of getting hurt on the road. Careful compliance with traffic laws is crucial, as is a pedestrian’s visibility to others in traffic. Little steps that you take can have a big effect on your overall safety as a pedestrian.
Taking a little bit of time to plan ahead before your next walk or run could possibly save your life.
The right route reduces your risk
The density of traffic is always a concern when you think about where you intend to jog or walk, but speed is also important to consider. Both the posted speed limit and the typical traveling speed on a road can have a direct impact on your safety as a pedestrian.
It may seem obvious, but the faster a vehicle travels, the more dangerous it is to you as a pedestrian. The actual increase in risk may shock you. Your chances of dying because they hit you go up significantly as the vehicle’s speed increases. Only 10% of pedestrian crashes are fatal at 23 miles per hour (mph), but that figure surges up to 25% when speeds increase to just 32 mph. At 42 mph, a pedestrian has a 50% chance of dying, while 90% of crashes at 58 mph will prove deadly.
Instead of freestyling out on the street, it may be safer for you to plan a specific route based on the speed limits on different roads nearby. Pedestrians on roads with lower levels of traffic and lower speed limits are less likely to suffer severe or fatal injuries if they do get hit by someone in a car.
Learning more about what causes pedestrian accidents could potentially save your life when you have to share the road with dangerous motor vehicles.
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