Pedestrian Safety in Cold Weather

Law/Наш блог/Pedestrian Safety in Cold Weather

Pedestrian Safety in Cold Weather

29/05/2024

When it’s cold outside, people drive worse than they did before. If you’re a pedestrian, you need to take extra precautions during the cold weather and, if you’re driving, you need to keep an extra eye out for pedestrians who are even harder to see, especially if snow is lowering your visibility. Safety is always paramount, but it’s especially important to walk and drive defensively when it is cold and possibly snowy and icy out. Here are some guidelines to avoid being involved in a cold weather pedestrian accident.



Visibility is Key

Visibility is going to be the number one thing that prevents a potential accident – if attentive drivers can see you, they’ll be sure to avoid you and hopefully slow down for you. You can increase your visibility by:

  • Wearing bright clothing whenever possible
  • Wearing high-visibility
    or reflective clothing or accessories to keep people aware of your presence
  • It is also feasible to wear blinking lights like
    you might find on a bike to make your presence undeniable

Don’t Walk on Streets

Whenever you can, walk on the sidewalk to prevent any accidents that could occur from a small bad decision on a driver’s part, or from the inevitable patch of snow or ice.

  • If you’re stuck with no choice but to walk on a
    roadway, be sure to walk facing traffic, as far to the left as you can – it increases
    visibility of you and the cars
  • Wear good, non-slip boots to avoid slipping and
    falling, so that you don’t find yourself falling into a roadway or victim to
    some other accident

Walk Defensively

It is your responsibility as a pedestrian to stay safe, and since you can’t control the cars around you, you need to walk defensively, and safely. Using crosswalks and following lights and street signs is a must.

  • Watch for any vehicles before you step out from
    behind a snowbank – they may not be able to see you, and vice versa
  • Only cross at crosswalks and intersections –
    make eye contact with drivers before stepping in the street
  • Protect yourself by staying aware and not
    wearing headphones. Listening to music or podcasts while you walk can be nice,
    but you may run the risk of not hearing vehicles or other potential dangers
  • Don’t assume vehicles will do the right thing –
    many accidents are caused by drivers breaking the law or skirting some “small”
    law – assume they are going to drive poorly, and stay aware and attentive
    during your walk

Pedestrian Safety Tips for Drivers

Your job as a driver is to get from A to B while protecting everyone around you – including both your passengers and pedestrians. Pedestrians almost universally have right of way, but also – they aren’t in giant metal boxes – they don’t stand a chance, so look out for them.

  • Slow down anywhere a pedestrian can cross
  • Slow down when it is snowy and icy
  • Sunglasses are okay in the winter, too – snow
    can cause intense glare, causing an
    accident

blogs

You might like

How Dangerous Are Motorcycle Accidents?

Motorcyclists are more likely to die in a traffic accident than people inside passenger cars. In fact, they are 28 times more likely, due to a number of factors, including things like potential low visibility from the blind spots of other vehicles around them. Motorcycles are also most likely to be involved in collisions with […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Five Helpful Facts and Tips About Pedestrian Accidents

The pedestrian fatality rate in Arizona is more than double that of the national average, at 1.61 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people. Most of these are male pedestrians, killed at a rate of almost three times as much as female pedestrians. Keeping pedestrians safe is everyone’s job, but as a pedestrian, you should understand the […]

29/05/2024
Read more

More Apps for Increased Rideshare Safety

If every ride you take is just you and an unknown driver, it doesn’t hurt to look into your safety options. And while any unsure situation could potentially turn dangerous, you can do yourself a favor by finding helpful methods for letting people know where you are and where you’re going to be, and generally […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Four Medical Alert and Slip and Fall Apps

Slip and fall accidents are unfortunately rather common in the US. The part that many people often miss when discussing slip and fall accidents, though, is that it is not just the elderly who suffer from them. Anyone of any age can have an accident, and people of all walks of life may have chronic […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Five Products for Increased Pedestrian Safety

While pedestrians typically have the right of way in most places, that doesn’t automatically make everyone around you a better or safer driver. As pedestrians, we have to activelypractice safety in order to make sure that we are the ones most responsible for our personal safety. Staying aware of our surroundings is always step number […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Personal Injury Lawsuits: What You Need to Know and how RS Law Office Can Help

Life is pretty unpredictable. One minute you’re healthy and bubbly, the next one you are nursing an injury due to someone else’s negligence. But the fact that life is unpredictable does not in any way reduce the pain and confusion that may arise when you find yourself in harm’s way due to another person’s negligence. […]

07/06/2024
Read more

Common Causes of Car Accidents – and Ways to Avoid Them

Car accidents are an increasingly common source of injuries and loss of property and life. Every year, there are estimated to be over six million car accidents, in the US alone. We drive everywhere, and even short distances pose a hazard to drivers, as well as pedestrians and people on bicycles. The loss of property […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Five Products for Increased Bicycle Safety

Bicycle accidents are unfortunately increasingly common in both California and Arizona, causing many to seek damages to compensate for their losses. Defensive driving and being aware of your surroundings are the best tools for safety, as is making sure your bicycle is properly maintained, making sure to wear a helmet, and obeying all street laws […]

05/06/2024
Read more

Common Causes for Tractor Trailer Accidents

There’s a good reason tractor trailers require a specialty license to operate them. They’re big, fast, heavy, and – in the wrong conditions – incredibly dangerous. It is estimated that 3.5 percent of all automobileaccidents each year involve tractor trailers. Around 4,600 of these result in some sort of fatality. This can be due to […]

29/05/2024
Read more

Slip and Fall Injuries in Arizona and California

In desert climates especially, some property managers have a tendency to not count on inclement weather when it comes to the upkeep of their properties. This means that, over time, things like rain and seismic shifts can slowly wear away at all kinds of surfaces, making them unsafe to walk on. While property managers may […]

29/05/2024
Read more

контактная форма

Свяжитесь с нами

By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from RS Law Offices. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. View our Privacy Policy.