Pedestrian Safety: Essential Street Crossing Guidelines

According to the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, a pedestrian is injured every eight minutes in a traffic collision. By practicing street crossing safety guidelines, you can prevent this from happening to you. Children should be taught street crossing safety as soon as possible.

Groups

• Crossing the street in groups can be a safe way to cross because a driver is more likely to see a large group, rather than a single person.

Street Signals

• Always follow traffic signals. If the signal has a hand up, or says "Do Not Walk," then you should not cross the street until the signal changes.

Crosswalks

• Use a crosswalk when crossing the street. These are often displayed as stripes on the ground at street corners. Drivers proceed more cautiously at crosswalks.

Look Both Ways

• Before crossing the street, look left, right and left again before proceeding. Continue to look while crossing the street.

Reflections

• Wear bright, or reflective, clothing when walking at night. You may also carry a flashlight.

Supervision

• Children tend to play, talk and not pay attention to cars while crossing the street. Therefore, adults should always supervise them.