Road Crossing Safety

In such a busy, fast-paced world we can often forget just how important pedestrian safety is in order to prevent being hit by a vehicle. As young kids, we were taught how to cross a road. But then as adults, the habit of looking left and right before crossing has gone to the wayside. As a refresher, we have created a more up-to-date, adult version of road crossing rules and how cell phones are a factor in our safety. After reading this question and answer formatted article, we hope the rules of crossing are engrained just a little more freshly in your mind.

What are the steps of crossing a roadway?

The overall idea when crossing a road may seem obvious, but is something many of us forget due to the daily distractions we encounter. More specifically, our phones have become one of the biggest distractions. As we walk on sidewalks to our destination, hands glued to our cellular devices, we may not see the danger awaiting us up ahead. The steps of safe crossing are listed below in order from step 1 – 3.

Step 1: Plan for the cross – find the best place to cross the street, such as at a traffic light, stop sign or white-paved crosswalk. If you are hit by a car within designated crossing areas, it may be a considerable detail when holding the driver responsible for your injuries. Do not ever cross a street where there is a turn, as cars can zoom right past and not be able to stop in time after seeing you.

Step 2: Stop – Take a moment to just stop and look back and forth. Again, this may seem like common sense. However, if we are running on autopilot we may not notice a car down the road from where we want to cross is speeding like a madman. Reckless drivers can seriously endanger pedestrians, especially when they are in the middle of the street.

Step 3: Watch & listen – Once you have looked right, then left, then right again before crossing do not go back to looking down at your phone or put headphones back into your ears. You need to be alert the entire time you are crossing. Pedestrian accidents can easily become fatal. Crossing with awareness is not silly, it is necessary.

What are other threats to pedestrian safety besides vehicles?

If you were to walk down a busy street right now, you would likely find most people are either on phones, listening to music or engaged in conversation. When we are not fully aware of our surroundings, the sidewalk can even become a threat. By walking into potholes, street poles, construction sites and other pedestrians we can easily become injured.  

What is it about cell phones that is so distracting?

In our society, cell phones have become the means of communication, directions, entertainment, music, dictionaries, sources of information and a way to keep up on work. These devices offer us so much at rapid speed. This is a wonderful thing, but also has a great downside when we can no longer simply cross a street in the moment with alert awareness.

If you or someone you know has suffered from a pedestrian accident — especially those relating to crossing the road — it may be in your best interest to reach out to some Charlottesville VA injury lawyers.


 

Thank you to our contributors at the MartinWren, P.C. for the above information.