EDITORIAL: Pedestrian, motorist safety shared responsibility

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Now that students are back on campus, there is more congestion in the downtown area. But motorists aren’t the only source of traffic. Pedestrians, particularly on and around campus at Georgia College & State University and Georgia Military College, are busy as well.

According to statistics from the Georgia Department of Transportation, 342 pedestrians were killed in 2022. While crosswalks have been added at bustling intersections downtown for added safety, there are still steps we can all take to lessen the risk of accidents and improve pedestrian safety.

First and foremost, pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike can help improve safety by avoiding distractions. That may seem like a no-brainer, but a quick scan of the number of drivers and especially pedestrians on an electronic device is still alarming. Always pay attention and stay off of distracting devices. Whether it’s a phone, a GPS — any sort of distraction while driving is bad, but it’s even worse on streets that are heavily populated with people. 

Drivers, even though your vehicle is bigger than the person crossing the crosswalk, take extra caution. Be prepared to stop. Don’t speed through streets with crosswalks or where there’s a lot of foot traffic. According to the GDOT, 21% of pedestrian fatalities are attributed to motorists not yielding to pedestrians.

Pedestrians, do not assume that a car will stop if you are crossing when you do not have the right of way. Seventy-nine percent of pedestrian accidents are attributed to pedestrians, according to GDOT. If the red hand is on the crosswalk signal, do not cross, even if there is no traffic. Do not cross the street without being in a crosswalk, it is more dangerous for all involved.

According to the GDOT, 95% of pedestrian fatalities occur outside a crosswalk.

One pedestrian accident is one too many. Motorists and pedestrians – please slow down and pay attention to your surroundings, especially during peak hours of the day in the downtown area.

Stay alert. Drive safely and keep an eye out for what other people are doing. You can’t control what others do, but you can control what you do. Be in charge of your own safety.

Pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility.