Never Assume Drivers See You At A Crosswalk

Crosswalks are designed for your safety while running or walking. They give you a safe place to cross where drivers should expect you to be. They can save lives and reduce the odds of a serious injury.

That said, do not assume drivers see you or that they will stop. A crosswalk is just a painted line on the road. It makes you feel safe, but it does not actually protect you.

One of the worst times for this is when you’re going to cross the road and a driver is turning right. They get the green light, telling them to go, at the same time that you get the walk signal. Yes, the right of way is yours in that situation, but if the driver never actually looks to see if you are there, they could easily hit you while thinking they’re just making a legal turn.

In other cases, drivers just disregard all manner of traffic controls. One man told a story of crossing a street at night when a woman simply ran the stop sign. He did not get hit because he stopped, waved his arms and yelled when he saw she wasn’t going to stop, but it was lucky that he was alert. She was supposed to stop, and he could easily have assumed she would and walked right out in front of her.

Drivers often think only about themselves and about other cars. They forget about pedestrians and never look for them. If you get seriously injured in an accident that one of these drivers causes, you need to know what rights you have to compensation.