Pedestrian Safety

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Facts

 NHTSA 2003 Pedestrian Safety Facts include:

• 4,749 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes
• 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes
• On average, a pedestrian is killed almost every 2 hours and injured every 8 minutes

NHTSA 2003 Pedalcyclist Safety Facts include:

• 622 pedalcyclists were killed in traffic crashes
• 46,000 pedalcyclists were injured in traffic crashes
• 23 percent of all pedalcyclists killed under age 16

Pedestrian Safety Tips……

Safety tips for walkers:

Always walk on the sidewalk.  If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk in the road, always walk FACING traffic

Dress to be seen.  Brightly colored clothing makes it easier for drivers to see you during the daytime.  At night, you need to wear special reflective material on you shoes, cap or jacket to reflect the headlights of cars coming towards you.

Tips for Crossing the Street:

• Cross only at corners or marked crosswalks
• Stop at curb, or the edge of the road
• Stop and look left, then right, then left again, before you step into the street                       

If you see a car, wait until it goes by.  Then look left, right and left again until no other vehicles are coming

If a car is parked where you are crossing, make sure there is no driver in the car. Then go to the edge of the car and look left-right-left until no cars are coming; looking for cars while you are crossing, and remember, walk.  Don’t run!

INFORMATION PROVIDED BY NHTSA

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