Because pedestrians and drivers are often in close quarters, it is necessary for both parties to take steps to ensure that the people who are walking remain safe. By working together, it might be possible to prevent some accidents.
When drivers don’t follow proper safety directions, the pedestrians are the ones who can be hurt. The same is true if pedestrians don’t use proper safety.
How should distractions be handled?
Drivers and pedestrians should avoid being distracted. A distracted pedestrian might not be able to see vehicles coming as they near the road. Distracted drivers might not be able to take the steps they need to avoid hitting pedestrians. In both cases, pedestrians can suffer harm from accidents if they are hit by a vehicle.
What about alcohol?
It is often said that if you are drinking and can’t find a way home to walk. In some cases, walking drunk can lead to an accident. The same can occur for a person who opts to drink and drive. A drunk pedestrian might walk in front of a vehicle. A drunk driver might slam into a pedestrian, which recently occurred in Kearny Mesa. While this accident wasn’t fatal, drunk driver versus pedestrian accidents can be fatal.
Everyone, including drivers and pedestrians, must follow the applicable traffic laws. This helps to ensure that everyone remains safe. Remember, breaking traffic laws isn’t going to help you get to your destination much faster than what you would arrive if you follow the laws. With this in mind, people who are harmed in a pedestrian accident might choose to seek compensation from the driver who struck them. The circumstances of the crash would come into the picture in this case.
Source: AAA, “Tips for Pedestrian Safety,” accessed July 05, 2017
