Safety tips for pedestrians at night

Walking or running around traffic is always dangerous. It gets even more dangerous at night, as visibility drops. Many accidents happen at these times, and pedestrians are in an exceptional amount of danger, finding themselves very likely to suffer serious injuries or even pass away due to the mistakes made by the drivers around them.

So how can you stay safe? Here are a few tips that will help.

Seek highly visible areas

If possible, you always want to run or walk on the side of the street that is well-lit. In some areas, street lights will only run up or down one side of the street, and you’ll always be more visible on that side. You should also cross streets only at crosswalks, which are often lit, as many accidents happen when people attempt to quickly jaywalk in the dark.

Make yourself more visible

Next, focus on making yourself as visible as you can to those drivers. Bright clothes are a must, but even they are not enough. Reflective clothing can be better because it reflects the headlights of the vehicles back at them. Perhaps the best option of all is simply to wear a vest with LED lights or to wear a headlamp.

Assume no one sees you

Finally, with every decision you make, just assume that the drivers do not see you. Even if you have the right of way, don’t run in front of a vehicle. Even when you’re in the crosswalk, look both ways and check all of the signals before crossing the street. This is very similar to the act of defensive driving, in that you are just trying to anticipate the mistakes others are going to make.

If you do get injured despite doing all this, then you need to know how to seek compensation. This can help to cover medical bills, lost wages and many other costs.