Some of the most dangerous car accidents to be involved in are pedestrian accidents. You don’t think of something like walking the dog around the neighborhood as an extremely dangerous activity, but it does put you in harm’s way. Any time that you’re around cars, there’s a potential that you – and your beloved pet – could be struck by a vehicle.
You may be wondering what you can do to reduce the odds of being involved in this type of crash. Fortunately, there are a lot of different steps that you can take. Below are three things that can make a big difference.
Knowing where to walk
First of all, make sure you always use crosswalks if you have to cross the street and that you use sidewalks when you can. Both of these may not provide physical barriers to keep you safe, but they put you in places where drivers expect you and keep you separated from the road. If there’s no choice but to walk on the road itself, or on the shoulder, do so by facing traffic.
Becoming more visible
If it’s ever dark, or even dusk, when you walk your dog, then you want to focus on visibility. You can do this during the darker hours with lights and reflective tape. But even in the middle of the day, it may be worth it to wear brighter colors so that you stand out against the dark road. Remember that drivers are moving quickly and anything you can do to make yourself more visible is only a benefit.
Avoiding distractions
It can also help to avoid distractions while walking the dog so that you can pay attention to traffic. For instance, you may be tempted to put on your headphones and listen to an audiobook while you walk. This may sound enjoyable, but listening to anything on headphones is both a distraction and a way to block the road noise around you, two things that can make an accident more likely.
Have you already been injured?
Understanding what to do may help keep you safe, but there’s always a chance that a negligent driver will make a mistake and injure you. If this has already happened, you need to know about all of your legal options to seek financial compensation.