If you are a fan of walking, you might be well aware of the many possible dangers of doing so. No matter where you are walking to, or even if you just like walking for the sake of it, you need to make sure that you are considering the safety aspects of it at all times. If you do not, then you might well find that you are the victim of an unfortunate circumstance. Every day, there are walking injuries and accidents the world over, and much of it is the result of a lack of awareness about the best way to avoid such a thing occurring. In this post, we are going to look at some of the rules of walking in safety – no matter where you might be walking to or from.
Face The Traffic
If you are walking alongside a road, you should always face against the flow of traffic. This is important for a number of reasons. For a start, it obviously means that you can see any oncoming vehicles, so you can be more likely to move out of the way if they are coming towards you quite fast. But it also means of course that they can see you more easily, and this means they are more likely to get out of the way in time. Both of you can take evasive action much more swiftly, and that could even save your life one day.
Walk Single File
If you are walking in busy areas or near roads at all, it is always best to walk in single file. This makes a difference in a number of ways. Most of all, it ensures that you are safer as a group should any vehicle come around a sharp bend or corner at a high speed. Drivers will not expect to see you walking hand in hand with someone, and it is more likely that it will cause a crash, so you should try to ensure that you are single file for as much of the roadside walk as possible. This will ensure that you are all as safe as possible, and then after you have got past the road you can walk side by side again.
Wear Reflective Gear
While this is particularly important at night, it is also fair to say that it is almost always a good idea anyway. If you wear reflective material, everyone will be able to see you much more easily, and this will mean that drivers and other people alike will have much more of a chance of getting out of the way in time. At night this is especially important, but even during the day wearing high-visibility gear is going to make a difference to how likely you are to go unharmed. There is another important reason to ensure you wear the proper gear at all times. If anything happens and you find you need to get in touch with pedestrian accident lawyers at Kelly & Soto Law, you will also want to be able to show that you were upholding your own part of the safety laws.
Use A Flashlight At Night
If you are walking at night, you must make sure that you don’t go out without a flashlight. Even if the area you intend to walk is littered with streetlights, having your own source of light is going to make a huge difference. The more powerful, the better, but you also need to think about where you are showing it, especially if you are walking along a road. While it can help drivers to spot you more easily, you need to make sure that you are not doing anything to shine it in their eyes, as this can actually very easily cause a crash. As long s you are careful with it however, this is one of the most important items you can possibly carry with you as you go walking at night.
Keep Your Senses Open
You need to do everything you can to stay as aware of your present situation as possible at all times. This means not drowning out the sound of the world with earphones, as you cannot then hear approaching traffic around bends and so on. It also means keep your eyes peeled – and unless it is inordinately sunny, leave your sunglasses at home. The more aware you are with all the senses, the more you will be able to remain safe and well while still enjoying your walk as much as possible.
