Walk This Way! Taking Steps for Pedestrian Safety

Walking is great for your health and a great way to get to your destination. But walking near traffic can be dangerous. Take steps to keep yourself safe when you walk.

Walking is good for your health, and it's good for the environment too. But before you head out on foot for a stroll, power walk, or errand, there are important safety tips to remember.

What's the problem?

Pedestrians—people who travel by foot, wheelchair, stroller, or similar means—are among the most vulnerable users of the road.

In the next 24 hours, on average, 324 people will be treated in an emergency department for pedestrian-related injuries. In the next 2 hours, on average, one pedestrian will die from injuries in a traffic crash.¹

More than 4,800 pedestrians were killed in traffic deaths in 2007, and more than 118,000 were injured.¹ With numbers like these, it's critical that you understand the risks and learn how to stay safe.

Who's at risk?

Pedestrians of all ages are at risk of injury or death from traffic crashes, but some people are at higher risk.

• Male pedestrians are more likely to die or be injured in a motor vehicle crash than females.¹
• More Black and Native American pedestrians die in motor vehicle crashes than do Whites.¹
• Pre-teen, teen, and young adult (ages 10-29 years) pedestrians are more likely to be treated in emergency departments for crash-related injuries.¹
• The risk of a pedestrian dying from a motor vehicle crash generally increases with age.¹
• Drinking alcohol increases the risk of a pedestrian dying from a motor vehicle crash. In 2007, 36% of all pedestrians killed in traffic crashes were legally drunk, with a blood alcohol content of greater than or equal to 0.08 grams per deciliter.²

As pedestrians, children are at even greater risk of injury or death from traffic crashes due to their small size, inability to judge distances and speeds, and lack of experience with traffic rules.

• Children ages 5 to 14 are more likely to die from motor vehicle traffic injuries, including pedestrian injuries, than any other cause.¹
• Nearly one in five, or about 20 percent, of traffic deaths among children ages 14 and under are pedestrian deaths.¹

Take Steps for Safety

Whenever you're walking, keep these tips² in mind:

• Cross the street at a designated crosswalk.
• Be careful at intersections, where drivers may fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians while turning onto another street.
• Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing reflective clothing.
• It's safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic.

Special Safety Tips for Children

It's especially important to watch out for children's safety when they're walking near traffic.

The following resources offer tips on how to encourage children to walk safely - a critical step in preventing child pedestrian injuries:

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Guide Web site*
This Web site gives information on how to start a SRTS program, an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bicycle.

SafeKids Worldwide: Pedestrian SafetyTips
SafeKids offers simple safety tips on child pedestrian safety, as well as other important topics.

More Information

CDC Resources

• Pedestrian Safety
• Podcasts: Motor Vehicle Safety

Other Resources

• International Walk to School in the USA Web site
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Prevent Pedestrian Crashes: Parents and Caregivers of Elementary School Children [PDF - 165KB]
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Pedestrian Safety
• Federal Highway Administration/ Safe Routes to School Program
• National Center for Safe Routes to School
• Safe Kids USA – Pedestrian Safety
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online].  [cited 2011 May 25]. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars
2. Department of Transportation (US), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Traffic Safety Facts 2009 Data: Pedestrians. [cited 2011 May 25]. Available from URL: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811394.pdf [PDF - 655KB].