PLAINVILLE — Chief James Floyd and the Plainville Police Department would like to share with residents a series of safety tips as part of National Pedestrian Safety Month.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 6,516 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. in 2020. On average, a pedestrian was killed every 81 minutes and injured every 10 minutes in traffic crashes in 2020. Pedestrian deaths accounted for 17% of all traffic fatalities in 2020 and 2% of all people injured in traffic crashes in 2020.
National Pedestrian Safety Month, which runs through the month of October, celebrates the right of everyone to walk or roll safely and reminds drivers of their responsibility to stay alert for pedestrians, cyclists, and others each time they are behind the wheel. Each week of the month, the NHTSA is focusing on different themes to help both pedestrians and motorists stay safe.
The themes include:
- Safer People: Encourages safe, responsible behavior by people who use our roads, and creates conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed.
- Safer Speeds & Safer Roads: Recognizes the importance of how motorists driving at safer speeds can save lives and highlights the vital role that safer roads play in reducing fatal crashes and injuries.
- Safer Vehicles: Looks at vehicle solutions – vehicles that provide occupant crash protection and other safety technology can help prevent crashes from occurring in the first place. Technologies like pedestrian automatic emergency braking can help protect those that are outside of the vehicle. Vehicle standards can also help reduce the severity of injuries including the front ends of vehicles that are designed to reduce the impact of a crash.
- Post-Crash Care: Focuses on providing bystander assistance and care to injured pedestrians, which may be critical in treating injuries and saving lives.
Additional safety tips for pedestrians:
- Be predictable; follow the rules of the road and obey signs and signals.
- Walk on sidewalks whenever they are available.
- If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Look for cars in all directions, including those turning left or right.
- If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to cross safely; continue watching for traffic as you cross.
- Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways, or backing up in parking lots.
- Be visible at all times. Wear bright clothing during the day, and wear reflective materials or use a flashlight at night.
- Keep alert at all times; don’t be distracted by electronic devices that take your eyes (and ears) off the road.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs when walking; they impair your abilities and your judgment.
Additional safety tips for drivers:
- Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times.
- Use extra caution when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as nighttime or bad weather.
- Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk.
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop too.
- Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. There may be people crossing where you can’t see.
- Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
- Follow the speed limit, especially around people on the street, in school zones and in neighborhoods where children are present.
- Be extra cautious when backing up and look for pedestrians.
For more information on pedestrian safety, click here.
###