Everyone Is a Pedestrian

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to transportation, but at one time or another everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, there was a more than 3% increase in the number of pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2018, totaling 6,283 deaths. 

Whether you’re a concerned resident, a parent or a caregiver, you want to do everything you can to make sure you, your loved ones and your neighbors can enjoy walking safely in your community. The resources below will help you do just that. We offer pedestrians of all ages guidance on maintaining safety while enjoying the benefits of walking.

Know the Basics—Pedestrian Safety

10 Walking Safety Tips

1. Be predictable. Follow the rules of the road and obey signs and signals.
2. Walk on sidewalks whenever they are available.
3. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible.
4. Keep alert at all times; don’t be distracted by electronic devices that take your eyes (and ears) off the road.
5. Whenever possible, cross streets at crosswalks or intersections, where drivers expect pedestrians. Look for cars in all directions, including those turning left or right.
6. If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to cross safely; continue watching for traffic as you cross.
7. Never assume a driver sees you. Make eye contact with drivers as they approach to make sure you are seen.
8. Be visible at all times. Wear bright clothing during the day, and wear reflective materials or use a flashlight at night.
9. Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways, or backing up in parking lots.
10. Avoid alcohol and drugs when walking; they impair your abilities and your judgment.

9 Driving Safety Tips

1. Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times. Safety is a shared responsibility.
2. Use extra caution when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as nighttime or bad weather.
3. Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or otherwise entering a crosswalk.
4. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and stop well back from the cross-walk to give other vehicles an opportunity to see the crossing pedestrians so they can stop too.
5. Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. There may be people crossing that you can’t see.
6. Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
7. Follow the speed limit, especially around people on the street.
8. Follow slower speed limits in school zones and in neighborhoods where children are present.
9. Be extra cautious when backing up—pedestrians can move into your path.

Finding and Creating Walkable Communities

• Resident's Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities
  Want to improve the walkability of your neighborhood? Learn from the examples of other communities working to improve pedestrian safety.
• Walkability Checklist – English (PDF, 237.66 KB) | Spanish (PDF, 879.65 KB) | Asian Languages
  How walkable is your community? Take a walk with your child and find out for yourselves.

Keeping Your Kids Safe While They Walk

• Prevent Pedestrian Crashes: Parents and Caregivers of Elementary School Children (PDF, 165.61 KB)
  Elementary school children are very active and impulsive. Although they’re learning and growing, school-age children 10 and younger still need guidance and supervision when playing and walking near traffic.
• Five Tips to Keep Your Children Safe on Their Way to and from School
  Strengthen your traffic safety knowledge: Teach and reinforce your children's pedestrian safety habits.
• A Kid's Guide to Safe Walking (PDF, 3.04 MB)
  This colorful pamphlet will help you teach young children safety tips for crossing the street and things to remember when walking.
• Tips for Preteens & Teens: Prevent Pedestrian Crashes (PDF, 3.30 MB)
  Remind your preteens and teens that walking around traffic requires the same critical thinking skills as riding a bike or driving a car: Stop, look left-right-left, be safe and be seen.

Walking Safely and Staying Fit as You Age

• Stepping Out as an Older Adult — Be Healthy, Walk Safely
  Share this resource with your aging parents to help them maintain their safety while walking for exercise or running errands.

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If you're an advocate of pedestrian safety, or perhaps you work on a State or local pedestrian program, our curriculum and resources will equip you with the tools and information you need to effectively promote pedestrian safety.

• Accessible Pathways & Livable Communities Pocket Guide
  Pocket guide containing pathway accessibility and livability concepts for communities to consider (from Easter Seals).
• Checklist for Assessing the Accessibility of Transportation and Mobility
  Introduction and instructions on using a checklist to assess the accessibility of a transit route, including the path of travel (from Easter Seals).
• Child Pedestrian Safety Curriculum
  Lesson plans, assessment guides, and student response forms to teach and encourage pedestrian safety to children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
• ESL Teacher's Guide and Student Workbook: Walk and Bike Safely
  ESL guide and workbook to teach and encourage pedestrian and bike safety to adult immigrant students who are beginning English language learners.
• Neighborhood Wayfinding Assessment Pocket Guide
  Guide and checklist to help you find your way in your community (from Easter Seals).
• Pedestrian Safer Journey – Skills for Safe Walking for Ages 5 to 18
  Interactive training package for children in elementary through high school to develop skills for safe walking.
• Pedestrian Safety Workshop: A Focus on Older Adults (PDF, 3.54 MB) and Instructor Guide (PDF, 3.54 MB)
  Presentation and guide for teaching older adults what they can do to increase their safety as pedestrians during this three-hour workshop.
• Tips for Preteens & Teens: Prevent Pedestrian Crashes (PDF, 3.30 MB)
  Walking around traffic requires the same critical thinking skills as riding your bike and driving a car. Apply the same walking skills you learned as a kid: stop, look left-right-left for traffic and be safe, be seen. Use these skills when you walk, and encourage others to do the same.
• Traffic Safety Facts – Children (PDF, 803.25 KB)
  Of the 5,987 pedestrian traffic fatalities, 245 (4%) were children in 2016.
• Traffic Safety Facts – Pedestrians (PDF, 573.55 KB)
  5,987 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2016, a 9% increase from the number reported in 2015.
• Walkability Checklist – English (PDF, 237.66 KB) | Spanish (PDF, 879.65 KB) | Asian Languages
  Criteria to help you decide whether a neighborhood is a friendly place to walk.

Visit FHWA's pedestrian web pages for additional information.

Pedestrian Safety Officials

• Focused Approach to Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
  NHTSA supports FHWA's Focused Approach to Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety. The approach looks at cities and States with large numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. NHTSA has worked with designated focus cities and States to implement enforcement and educational strategies that complement infrastructure applications to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities. 
• How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PDF 5.14 MB)
  Guide for developing and implementing a pedestrian safety action plan tailored to the problems and needs of State and local agencies.
• Pedestrian Safety Program Management Course
  This two-day course provides a comprehensive approach to managing pedestrian safety programs.
• Pedestrian Safety Program Technical Assessment
  Find out how your State highway safety or emergency medical services program can benefit from NHTSA's technical assessment.
• Pedestrian Safety Training for Law Enforcement
  Order this CD-ROM to receive computer-based training in pedestrian safety, followed by a certificate of completion.
• Pedsafe
  An expert tool to help diagnose and address pedestrian safety problems.
• Proven Safety Countermeasures
  Proven pedestrian safety countermeasures: median refuges, road diets, and hawk hybrid signals.