Walk This Way!

Taking Steps for Pedestrian Safety - This Information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Take steps to be safe when walking on roadways. This includes exercising caution at intersections and crosswalks and increasing your visibility at night by wearing retro-reflective clothing and carrying flashlights.

Walking is good for your health, and it's good for the environment too. But before you head out on foot for a stroll, power walk, or errand, there are important safety tips to remember.

What's the problem?

Pedestrians—people who travel by foot, wheelchair, stroller, or similar means—are among the most vulnerable users of the road.

In the next 24 hours, on average, more than 460 people will be treated in an emergency department for traffic-related pedestrian injuries.  In the next 2 hours, on average, one pedestrian will die from injuries in a traffic crash.

Take Steps for Safety

Whenever you're walking, keep these tips in mind:

• Cross the street at a designated crosswalk.
• Be careful at intersections where drivers may fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians while turning onto another street.
• Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing retro-reflective clothing.
• It's safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic.

As pedestrians, children are at even greater risk of injury or death from traffic crashes due to their small size, inability to judge distances and speeds, and lack of experience with traffic rules.

• Nearly one in four traffic deaths among children ages 14 and under are pedestrian deaths.

It's especially important to watch out for children's safety when they're walking near traffic.