1970s stock footage - pedestrian safety

[Music] [Music] don't be dead right Roger Cheney may have been right in this case that's for the jury to decide but the most important fact is that he was struck by a car and nearly killed pedestrians like motor vehicles and bicycles also have their rights in traffic these rights are prescribed by state and local laws which recognize if pedestrians need protection in the flow of traffic on today's busy streets but these rights carry with them some basic responsibilities as well too many adults seem to think that pedestrian safety rules apply only to children for instance most adults know they should wait for a new green light before starting across the street but we often disregard the safety rule because we're in a hurry we cross after the lights been green for some time only to find ourselves caught in the middle of the street we've not only ignored a safety rule we've also been discourteous to the drivers we held up so if the signal is an old green when you get to the corner wait till the lights change again and walk on a new green light the same rule applies to pedestrian signals most of us know that but how often have we started across on a flashing wait or don't walk then we found ourselves having to dodge traffic in the middle of the street a flashing don't walk signal tells pedestrians that there isn't time to cross even though the traffic light still [Music] green generally The Pedestrian is entitled by law to continue to the other side but only a fool would endanger his life by insisting on his rights regardless of other factors in some areas a flashing walk signal allows pedestrians to cross but warns them to watch for turning [Music] cars pedestrians usually have the right of way when Crossing in crosswalks too often however we grow careless and overconfident when we assume the law protects us we feel safe knowing that drivers are required to yield to us we may not even bother to look for cars then suddenly a motorist violates our right of way Roger Cheney was hurt in a situation like this with more and more States adopting the law that allows motorists to turn right on a red light pedestrians must keep fully alert when Crossing at an intersection always stand on the curb not in the street while you're waiting in any situation even though you may legally have the right of way the safest practice is always to use good judgment look in all directions to make sure there's no immediate Danger from traffic keep to the right in the crosswalk to give room to pedestrians coming from the other [Music] direction when one vehicle stops for a pedestrian in a crosswalk most people assume that vehicles in other lanes will stop too but we should always stop and look for other vehicles before we step out past the stopped [Music] car otherwise we may be dead right all drivers have blind spots places where part of their vehicle Blocks part of their view a pedestrian may be completely hidden from a driver until it's too late to stop only when you can see the driver's eyes you know that he can see you it's foolish to step off the curb into the path of an oncoming car when the driver doesn't have time to [Music] stop in this situation the driver has the right of way and pedestrians are required to [Music] yield pedestrians must always yield to Vehicles when Crossing where there's no intersection or marked crosswalk a jwalker can easily be dead but never right in rural areas on roads where there aren't any sidewalks always walk on the left side facing oncoming traffic stay as far off the roadway as possible walking at night can be especially dangerous because everyone's vision is greatly used pedestrians should make themselves as visible as possible light colored clothing helps better still carry a flashlight and wear reflective clothing tape or tags pedestrian overpasses make it easier and safer to cross a busy and dangerous Street we should always use them for our own safety as well as to set a good example for younger pedestrians at some intersections pedestrians can call for a walk signal by pressing a push button push it once and wait for the signal to change even with all these pedestrian safety devices we should never let down our guard sometimes we may get so preoccupied with other things that we completely forget our surroundings and that's dangerous [Music] [Music] in bad weather walking is considerably more hazardous and it's harder for drivers to see pedestrians even if we've forgotten our umbrellas we shouldn't forget our safety rues we play the equivalent of Russian Roulette every time we step out from between two parked cars The Pedestrian is often in front of the oncoming car before the driver has time to react to the [Music] danger anyone who tries this type of Crossing can quickly become dead [Music] wrong when we park our car and change from the role of driver to that of pedestrian we sometimes play another version of the same dangerous game without thinking or looking we push open the car door and step out into the traffic [Music] lane one moment where the driver cursing the thoughtless pedestrian the next were The Pedestrian cursing the careless driver we all know that drunk drivers are dangerous and a pedestrian who's been drinking is dangerous in exactly the same ways his ability to judge the speed and distance of approaching cars is impaired he's less safety conscious and he often takes dangerous chances his reactions are slower he has more self assurance and less [Music] self-control [Music] pedestrian accidents have many causes sometimes they happen because we insist upon our rights or what we think are our rights that was the case with Roger Cheney he was right but he almost died because he foolishly insisted on keeping that right rather than tempering it with courtesy and good judgment two lives have been needlessly damaged the driver will always carry the burden of the pain and suffering he caused Roger Cheney will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair remember them the next time you have a choice be courteous and sensible don't be dead right [Music]