By Joseph D. Younger

People who tout walking as a healthy activity have obviously not considered the poor rankings of North and South Carolina when it comes to pedestrian deaths. South Carolina is fifth worst and North Carolina eighth worst for pedestrian deaths, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranking.

How many of these common myths about pedestrian safety do you believe? Learning the truth and following the tips below will help you share the roadways safely, both on foot and behind the wheel, and hopefully, reduce North and South Carolinas’ high ranking of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 population.

Lie No. 1: Kids account for most pedestrian casualties. We tend to think of pedestrian safety as an issue primarily involving kids walking to and from school or playing near the street. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Although child pedestrian safety remains a serious issue, the fatality rate for children has dropped steadily and dramatically over the last 20 years or so, decreasing 84 percent since 1975 (the most among any age group). Nowadays, seniors run the greatest risk of becoming a walking fatality. People age 65 or older account for one out of every four pedestrian deaths.

The frailty that accompanies aging partly explains seniors’ vulnerability. But there are other reasons, too.
 “Peripheral vision diminishes as people get older, reflexes slow, and the ability to move quickly decreases, making it often longer to cross the street, and harder to take evasive action,” notes Steve Phillips, manager of AAA Carolinas’ Traffic Safety Department.

Also, eyesight and hearing often become less acute, and judging traffic distance and speed becomes less accurate.

 Phillips recommends seniors cross only at crosswalks and on a “fresh” green (once that has just changed in your favor). That gives you the most time. If you’re not sure how long you have, wait through a light cycle.

Lie No. 2:  Intersections with “Walk/Don’t Walk” lights are the safest places to cross. If you think that crossing only on the “Walk” light decreases your risk of getting hit, think again. Studies show standard pedestrian signals have no effect on crash rates compared with non-signalized intersections.

Only signals permitting a pedestrian-exclusive interval—those that stop traffic in all directions, allowing pedestrians at all four corners to cross—make a difference in cutting collision rates. But they impede traffic flow so severely that cities rarely install them.

In fact, three North Carolina cities ranked among the 100 worst cities nationally for pedestrian deaths in a 2003 US Department of Transportation analysis – Fayetteville (26th worst), Charlotte 60th and Greensboro 90th. No South Carolina city was in the top 100, which measured deaths per 100,000 population.

Pedestrians who assume that lights will stop traffic often make that mistake only once. “Stay away from the edge of the curb, look left, right, and then left again before leaving the curb,” said Phillips. “Seek eye contact with drivers to be sure that they see you.”

This advice applies especially when you face a driver who might make a turn into your path. For example, nearly one in every four right-turn-on-red violations results in a pedestrian-vehicle conflict.

Lie No. 3: You can always cross safely when the driver waves an OK. Making eye contact and getting a go-ahead wave from a driver don’t necessarily ensure safety. In certain cases, the stopped vehicle actually becomes an obstacle blocking the view of drivers overtaking it in the next lane. With the stopped vehicle screening their view, they may not see you and keep heading on a collision course. Stop before clearing the first car and make eye contact with all oncoming drivers.

Lie No. 4: Drivers running red lights, barging into crosswalks, or not paying attention cause most collisions.  All things considered, drivers and pedestrian share blame pretty much equally. Certainly, drivers take the rap deservedly at intersections; they cause 88 percent of the conflicts there.

Nevertheless, most pedestrian collisions happen at places other than intersections, where pedestrians are usually at fault. These accidents often involve jaywalking, darting out into traffic mid-block, or crossing highways.
As a defense against such erratic or unexpected behavior by pedestrians, “we teach drives a technique known as ‘ground viewing’ in our Driver Improvement Program,” said Phillips.

Ground viewing means scanning low to the pavement, around and under parked cars. By practicing this technique, you can spot moving shoes, shadows, and other clues that a pedestrian might be lurking in or behind a row of cars, getting ready to dash into the roadway.

Lie No. 5: Wearing white at night lets drivers see you.  Compared with dark clothing, white does make you more conspicuous at night, but not nearly enough to give you a comfortable margin of safety under all conditions.
Consider this: at 40 mph, an alert driver covers slightly more than 120 feet while recognizing a pedestrian, hitting the brakes, and coming to a complete stop. Drowsiness, bad tires, slick pavement, and other factors can double that stopping distance. 

According to government studies, pedestrians wearing dark clothing become visible at 55 feet—obviously, a deadly distance for a pedestrian facing a 40-mph vehicle. But a white shirt improves visibility to about 200 feet—still not enough under many conditions.

Experts recommend carrying a flashlight and wearing reflective or retro reflective clothing. By bouncing light rays directly back to their source, retro reflective shoes, vests, and other sportswear look brighter and work better. Compared with white, they increase the distance at which drivers can see you by more than six-fold.

Lie No. 6: Just walk home when you’ve had too much to drink. An astonishing number of collisions involve drunken pedestrians. And that includes underage drinkers, too. According to the most recent statistics, 34 percent of pedestrians age 16 or older killed in traffic collisions had a blood alcohol concentration at or above 0.08, the legal limit for drivers.

Of course, the law sets no legal limit for drinking and walking. “Alcohol impairs the judgment and motor skills of pedestrians just as it does for drivers,” said Phillips. “When you go out to drink, bring a designated driver along or take a cab or a bus home.