Drivers and Pedestrians – Working Together

As a driver, there are so many things we need to do to keep us safe on the road. We’re protected by the shell of our vehicle from any mishap that may come our way. However, pedestrians are not as protected, and we must do our best to help protect them during our travels.

Let’s begin with identifying the issues that face pedestrians that make it difficult for drivers to spot them or their actions and vice-versus.

Rain and pedestrians

Rain, drivers and pedestrians can become a lethal combination. Research shows that over 20% of all incidents involving collisions with pedestrians occur on wet roads, dark and rainy conditions.

Road conditions and the rain

The road itself, with it being black and rough, will usually absorb or throw most of the light that is shone on it. However, when the rain falls, the surface becomes smooth, and the light is reflected up toward the drivers and pedestrians.

This will make it much more difficult for drivers to see many of the road markings such as crossings, lane ending signs and other information.

Also, the rain can make it more difficult to see signs, the distance to traffic lights and other motions on the road. Adding darkness to the mix makes the driving experience even more challenging. Once you add pedestrians into the mix, it can become extremely tricky for both you and them.

Pedestrian clothing

The clothing that some pedestrians wear can also contribute to visibility challenges in inclement weather. A few studies have shown that the average distances drivers can spot pedestrians wearing certain shades of clothing in the rain (keeping in mind that if you are driving at only 50km, you are covering 14 metres per second) include the following:

• 100 metres if a pedestrian is wearing light-coloured clothing, 

• 60 metres if a pedestrian is wearing medium shades of clothing, and

• 25 metres if a pedestrian is wearing dark clothing.

When they’re running for cover

Let’s think about you – the pedestrian for a moment. When you’re coming out of a building, as you may head for your vehicle, you may be covering your head and running to the parking lot. 

During this time, your visibility is not only reduced by the rain, but by covering your heads, drivers cannot see as well. This especially true when there are low-light conditions. Now think about the drivers in the parking lot. They must deal with the rain, other vehicles approaching their direction and now you, the pedestrian.

As a driver, you need to be aware of each of these situations and look out for running pedestrians. As a pedestrian, you need to think about the drivers too. It’s become a two-way street between drivers and pedestrians. You should always keep in mind that not everyone crosses at intersections or wears reflective or high-visibility clothing.

Scan your surroundings and be visible

To drivers, other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, e-bikes or anyone moving slower than traffic, may become more difficult to see at night and/or when the weather becomes unpleasant. 

As drivers, you should be aware of this and use your eyes to scan and spot these slower-moving road users. Look for them in all areas and make the needed adjustments to your speed and your position to allow them more space.

If you’re travelling as a slow-moving non-driving road user, help drivers see you sooner by wearing light-coloured clothing, carrying a flashlight and remembering that, just because you can see a vehicle, does not mean that the driver can see you.

Distracted pedestrians

There are many forms of distracted pedestrians, and you may even be one yourself from time to time by using the sidewalk or the edge of the road with:

• Earbuds in, or

• Head down, texting, or

• Phone up to their ear, engaged in conversation.

• In other words, a distracted pedestrian is not paying attention to their surroundings.

Each year, more people are injured because of using their phones when walking, jogging or crossing the road. Pedestrians become distracted by using their phones for many reasons like checking social media, playing games or texting family and friends.  

By doing this, they tend to be incapable of walking in a straight line and often appear to be wandering. This motion is dangerous for drivers as it may look like a distracted pedestrian is moving to cross the road when in fact they are not.

The driver may then shift their position in a way that affects the flow of traffic, possibly resulting in a collision. Our brain can generally only focus on one task at a time. You cannot give your full attention to walking or jogging while also engaged with your phone. This is referred to as “inattentional blindness”. When you distract part of your attention away from something, you may miss other important things going on around you.

The main solution to this problem is to not use a phone when you are walking, jogging or crossing the road. The goal should always be to stay focused on the most important task at hand – move safely from A to B and then deal with your phone after you arrive at your destination.

If you need to use your phone while in motion, glance up every few seconds. Check your surroundings to determine what has changed. A better solution would be to move yourself out of the flow of pedestrian traffic, stop, do what you need to do and then continue.

Noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones are dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers. The pedestrian cannot hear vehicles approaching, changing speed, their horn or the sirens of an emergency vehicle. The driver may assume that the pedestrian knows that they are approaching and proceeds with whatever their intention is on the road. These actions combined could result in conflict at best and serious injury or death at worst.

Since we all need to use the roadways and sidewalks, we all need to be co-operative. As a pedestrian, think like a driver and as a driver, think like a pedestrian to help make educated decisions. It’s the best of both worlds.