Pedestrian Safety

Did you know...

• A pedestrian is defined as any person not in or upon a motor vehicle or other vehicle.

• In 2006, 4,784 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States.

• On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 110 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 9 minutes.

• There were 61,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2006. Most pedestrian fatalities in 2006 occurred in urban areas (74%), at non-intersection locations (79%), in normal weather conditions (90%), and at night (69%).

Safe walking behaviors can be taught as a parent walks with a child or it may be included as an organized training. Regardless of how it is taught, children should know the following:

1. Always look for cars. Drivers are supposed to obey the rules and watch for people walking. But you cannot count on them to always remember.
2. Choose the safest routes to walk with the fewest and safest streets to cross. Avoid crossing busy or high-speed roads whenever possible.
3. Walk along the street safely. This means:
• Use sidewalks or paths.
• If there are no sidewalks or paths, walk as far from the cars as possible and walk facing traffic.
• Watch for cars turning or pulling out of driveways.
4. Cross at signalized intersections whenever possible.
• Obey traffic signs and signals.
• Remember that just because it is your turn to cross does not mean that it is safe to cross. Do not trust that cars will obey the rules or that turning cars will see you.
• Look for yourself to see if cars are coming. Look left, right and left and then behind you and in front of you for turning cars.
• Walk, don't run across the street.
5. If you must cross the street at mid block:
• Stop at the curb and look left, right and left again for traffic.
• Wait until no traffic is coming and begin crossing. Keep looking for traffic until you have finished crossing.
6. If you must cross between parked cars:
• Stop at the curb and check to see if the cars are running or if anyone is in the driver seat.
• If safe, cross to the edge of the parked cars, and look left, right and left again before crossing.

The Virginia State Code - 46.2-924.
Drivers to stop for pedestrians; directs the below:

1. The driver of any vehicle on a highway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian crossing such highway:
   1. At any clearly marked crosswalk, whether at mid-block or at the end of any block;
   2. At any regular pedestrian crossing included in the continuance of the lateral boundary lines of the adjacent sidewalk at the end of a block;
   3. At any intersection when the driver is approaching on a highway or street where the legal maximum speed does not exceed 35 miles per hour.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A of this section, at intersections or crosswalks where the movement of traffic is being regulated by law-enforcement officers or traffic control devices, the driver shall yield according to the direction of the law-enforcement officer or device.

No pedestrian shall enter or cross an intersection in disregard of approaching traffic.

The drivers of vehicles entering, crossing, or turning at intersections shall change their course, slow down, or stop if necessary to permit pedestrians to cross such intersections safely and expeditiously.

Pedestrians crossing highways at intersections shall at all times have the right-of-way over vehicles making turns into the highways being crossed by the pedestrians.