Safety Tips for Pedestrians and Motorists

(DUFFERIN COUNTY, ON) - With the summer fast approaching, the Dufferin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is promoting pedestrian and motorist safety tips to residents. Unfortunately in motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and motorists, it is the pedestrian who suffers the most. It is the responsibility of the both the driver and the pedestrian to ensure each other’s safety.

Pedestrian Safety Tips:

1. Do not wear anything that reduces your vision or hearing ability; this includes any electronic device or wearing a hood or earmuffs.
2. Stop, look, listen and think. Follow these four steps before stepping onto the road.
3. Don’t assume the vehicle will be able to stop. In wet and slippery weather conditions, a car might have difficulty stopping or could be experiencing mechanical problems. If you have the right of way, don’t step onto the roadway until the vehicle comes to a complete stop.
4. Cross at marked crosswalks or traffic lights, not in the middle of the street or between parked cars.
5. If the “Don’t Walk” signal begins to flash or once the light has turned yellow, do not cross.
6. Watch for traffic turning at intersections or entering and leaving driveways; scan over your shoulder for turning vehicles.
7. Wear bright or light-coloured clothing or reflective strips, when walking in dusk or darkness.
8. Make eye contact with drivers when crossing busy streets and continue to watch out for traffic the entire time you are in the crosswalk.
9. Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that has no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

Motorist Safety Tips:

1. Obey traffic signals.
2. Yield to pedestrians that are on the roadway.
3. Be patient, especially with older pedestrians who need more time to cross the road.