It’s the time of year when the days are short and the nights are long. This can be a specially dangerous time of year for pedestrian safety. The Portland Bureau of Transportation noted in its 2016 Safety Report that low lighting was a key contributing factor in traffic deaths. In addition to the deaths, there are many more people who are seriously injured by drivers. The low lighting conditions when combined with other factors such as being distracted or speeding add to the danger. The drivers do not have as good of a view of the roads, sidewalks, alleys, driveways. They may be in hurry to get to work. I think we’ve all had an experience where we are driving down the road in the dark and all of sudden there is a pedestrian crossing the road in dark clothes. Fortunately, most of us are able to see the pedestrian and avoid a crash. Others don’t.
I don’t know how many times I have been running in the dark morning hours and drivers just don’t look when they are turning, coming out of side streets or just driving down the road. This makes it very important for a pedestrian to make sure you are visible. Wear bright clothing, get some reflective flashers. Make it easy for a car to know you are there.
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