Quick Tip

Pedestrians: Drivers Can’t See You

Pretending you’re invisible can save your life

Photo by Jerry D Clement; used with permission | The author assumes responsibility for the copyright of this image.

At least two or three times a week, I see a local news story about a pedestrian getting hit by a car while crossing a street. They’re either killed or seriously injured.

Sometimes the driver stayed on the scene. Sometimes they left. But that’s not my point.

I haven’t done a thorough analysis, but it seems that most of these car-vs.-pedestrian crashes occur when the pedestrian is not in a marked crosswalk or is crossing against the light.

I doubt that any of them stepped out onto the street intending to be hit.

Here’s my advice for pedestrians to be smart walkers, no matter when or where:

Pretend you’re invisible.

Adopt a mindset that drivers can’t see you — because often, they can’t, especially at dawn, dusk or night. And even on a bright sunny day, they may not be looking at you.

Don’t dart in front of cars expecting that they’ll stop for you. If they don’t see you, they won’t stop.

Take the time to use marked crosswalks at lighted intersections, even when it means going out of your way. Again…