June 2004

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Just the Facts: Walk with care

By Abby Heller

Injury Severity of Pedestrians (<16) Involved in a Pedestrain-Motor Vehicle Crash, Houston/Harris County 1999-2000

Disclaimer: Crash Injury Definitions: Broken Bones-“Incapacitating injury”; Bruises-“Non-incapacitating; Pain-“Possible Injury”; Non-injury is only coded in these data where crashes involved a fatality; therefore, non-injury is underrepresented. Source: Texas Dept. of Public Safety Traffic Data

Feel like taking a walk? It’s a great way to help maintain your health. If you convince your children of the benefits of walking, it may help them avoid the epidemic of obesity that is now affecting the nation’s youngsters.

While the benefits of walking far outweigh the hazards, there are still dangers of which you and your children should be aware. A recent study by the Houston Trauma LINK, a coalition of Houston community injury prevention organizations, shows that every 24 hours, a pedestrian under the age of 16 was involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Every 35 days -- almost once a month -- a child here died from such an incident.

Baylor College of Medicine is the coordinating agency for Houston Trauma LINK. This project was funded by the Texas Department of Transportation.

In Houston/Harris County 1999-2000 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), there were 753 pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes involving youngsters under the age of 16. These incidents resulted in 732 injuries and 21 deaths. Boys were almost twice as likely as girls to be involved in such accidents or killed.

Nationwide, the numbers are staggering. For all age groups, 4,808 pedestrians were reported killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 2002, accounting for 11.2 percent of the 42,815 mtor vehicle deaths nationwide. That same year, approximately 76,000 pedestrians were injured or killed in motor vehicle collisions. These numbers average out to a pedestrian being killed or injured about every six minutes.

Despite these statistics, walking is a safe and excellent exercise. Next time you go out for a walk, however, keep a few tips in mind:

• Pay attention. A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Traffic Statistics in 1999 found that pedestrians were solely at fault in 43 percent of car-pedestrian collisions. Obeying traffic rules and being aware of dangers can help reduce your changes of being involved in an accident.
• Make eye contact with drivers if possible.
• Pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk. However, caution while crossing the street is still critical. It doesn’t matter if you are right if you end up on the wrong side of a disagreement with an automobile.
• When a pedestrian crosses a roadway outside of a crosswalk or corner, vehicles have the right-of-way.  
• Pedestrians should keep to the right while in a crosswalk.
• Drivers of vehicles about to turn into a driveway, alley, garage or private road are required to yield the right of way to pedestrians on sidewalks.
• Pedestrians who have started to cross at a crosswalk on a go signal have the right of way until they reach the opposite curb or place of safety, such as a median.
• Don’t suddenly move into the path of a closely approaching vehicle that does not have sufficient time to yield for a pedestrian.
• Walk on and along the left side of a highway when not walking on a sidewalk.  Note: This law does not apply to bicycles.  Bicycles operate under the same laws as other legal vehicles on the road and should always stay on the right side of the road.
• When walking at night, wear light-colored reflective clothing, shoes, or carry a reflector or light to help make yourself more visible. 
• Young children often lack the experience when dealing with traffic. Supervision is crucial through at least age nine.

Drivers who want to avoid accidents with pedestrians should:

• Yield to pedestrians when they are crossing a sidewalk, an alley or a driveway.
• Yield to pedestrians crossing at an intersection or crosswalk on a “walk” signal or a green light.
• Be aware of children who are walking.
• Slow down in school zones, near parks and pools and in neighborhoods. Parents dropping off children at school are a major threat to walking children and to those leaving motor vehicles. Stay cautious after dropping off your own child. 
• Yield to pedestrians when they are crossing a sidewalk, an alley or a driveway.
• Yield to pedestrians crossing at an intersection or crosswalk on a “walk” signal or a green light.
• Do not pass a vehicle stopped at an intersection to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway safely.

1 Texas Dept. of Public Safety Traffic Data
2 Houston/Harris County Child Fatality Review Team
3 City of Houston Fire Dept. HFD-EM

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