Anyone who becomes involved in a road traffic accident is at risk of suffering from serious injury. The Highway Code states that it is pedestrians who are most vulnerable and at risk if they become involved in an accident. Unlike motorists or cyclists, pedestrians have nothing to protect them if the do become involved in an accident – they have no air bag or helmet to protect them from injuries.
As a pedestrian, there are a number of guides you can follow to ensure your safety on the road. The main guide is the Green Cross Code. It has been in use since the early 1970’s and is still seen as a useful guide for pedestrians to follow when crossing roads, and is still taught to children throughout school. It gives a number of steps to ensure your safety on the road:
- Find the safest place to cross: The safest place to cross a road is at a pedestrian crossing, such as a Zebra crossing, Pelican crossing, traffic light crossing, or alongside a lollipop lady/man. However, on some roads, none of these crossing are available – if this is the situation, you should cross in a place where you can clearly see the on coming traffic in both directions.
- Stop: You should take your time to make sure that there is no oncoming traffic.
- Look and listen: Traffic is noisy, so you should listen carefully to see if you can hear any vehicles approaching. When doing this you should avoid using a mobile phone or an ipod.
- Cross only when it’s safe: When you feel it’s safe to do so, you should walk across the road, still keeping a look out for any approaching vehicles.
As a pedestrian it is your duty to ensure that when crossing the road you do so in the safest possible way. If you are walking with any children or pets you should also make sure you have a firm hold of them when you are near any oncoming traffic. This means keeping pets on leads, and making sure that the children are walking closely beside you.
If you do become involved in a road traffic accident and suffer injury as a result, you should take down the contact details of the other parties involved, along with the details of any witnesses to the accident.
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident, you normally have three years to make a compensation claim – however, the sooner you act, the better.
