When drivers practice safe driving habits around pedestrians, it can help avoid accidents and save lives.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a number of recommendations drivers can follow in order to share the roadway safely with pedestrians. They include:
- Drivers should be on the lookout for pedestrians at all times and everywhere.
- Drivers should exercise additional caution in driving situations when it is more difficult to see, such as in nighttime and bad weather driving conditions.
- Drivers should slow down around crosswalks and when turning, and should be prepared to stop.
- Drivers should always yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
- Drivers should stop well in advance of crosswalks so other vehicles have the opportunity to see crossing pedestrians.
- Drivers should never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. There may be pedestrians they are unable to see.
- Drivers should never drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
- Drivers should follow the speed limit, especially in areas where children are present, in school zones, neighborhoods and where there are pedestrians present on the street.
- Drivers should be cautious when backing up and always look for pedestrians.
Legal remedies for the injured
Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable to any accident involving a motor vehicle, even when the vehicle is traveling at relatively low speeds. These accidents frequently result in broken bones, spinal and brain injuries or death. These injuries can be devastating for the injured and their whole families. The medical bills can be enormous, and serious injuries can leave people unable to work. These losses come on top of the harder-to-define costs of an injury, such as pain and loss of enjoyment in life.
The law refers to these losses, and others like them, as damages. When these damages result from an accident caused by a driver’s negligence, the injured may pursue compensation through a personal injury claim. An attorney with experience in personal injury can help the injured and their families understand their rights and options for recovering compensation so that they can better deal with the difficult aftermath of a pedestrian accident.
