Pedestrian safety tips
Pedestrians always have the right of way, right? Not quite. Pedestrians actually only have the right of way in crosswalks. This myth is a dangerous one, as it can cause pedestrians to let their guard down and assume that motor vehicles will yield to them.
Pedestrians should remain aware of their surroundings and take responsibility for their own safety. To stay safe as a pedestrian, follow these tips:
- Always walk on the side walk if one is present.
- Look both ways before crossing the street.
- Cross at pedestrian crosswalks or at intersections.
- At controlled intersections, only cross when you have the pedestrian crossing signal. Even then, be aware of vehicles that may have a green light to turn.
- Walk facing oncoming traffic. Facing oncoming traffic allows you to see the traffic approaching you and increases your visibility.
- During the day, wear bright colored clothing when walking. At night, wear light-colored clothing. A reflective vest is your best bet for safety when you walk at night.
- Remain aware of your surroundings. This means you should not talk on your cell phone when walking or drown out all noise with your iPod.
- Walk on paths frequently used by other walkers and joggers.
Even if you exercise caution and good judgment when walking, pedestrian accidents can still happen. If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you should seek the immediate advice of a Texas personal injury attorney.
I would like to know Texas law about an incident that odccurred at my last workplace on 1/22/2010. I was walking on the side walk to board the bus on the next cross street at about 7:45 p.m. Another co-worker ignored the stop sign and almost hit me. When I reported the incident to security guard, she ignored the incident, no follow up was made and when I finally received the attention of the assistant general manager, he stated that he did not see a problem since I was not hurt, but he would talk to the employee about the incident. I just would like to know if I have been violated in some way because right after that I was wrongfully fired.