World Health Organization statistics state that at least 270,00 pedestrians do in fact become fatalities as a result of accidents on the road yearly. This is 22 percent of all road traffic fatalities worldwide annually. However, pedestrians who do walk on streets are still at risk of construction accidents.
To put things into perspective, New York City had 433 construction site accidents in 2015, which resulted in the injuries of a grand total of 471 pedestrians and construction workers. 11 people died that year as well.
This means accidents do happen to anyone, at anytime and anywhere. This doesn’t mean however that you shouldn’t go out anymore. Rather, it’s time for you to be more aware of your role as a pedestrian and be more vigilant when it comes to pedestrian safety. Here are some tips to keep in mind in order to avoid construction accidents:
- Know your exits. If you’ve always traversed a particular route, it’s best to be aware of the nooks and crannies surrounding that route. Shortcuts, hospitals, clinics, police stations, and relevant places of assistance and safety should always be on your mind whenever you’re walking anywhere. This helpful so that if you do see a construction site, you can be automatically aware of where you can go alternatively should there be a need to.
- Follow protocol at all costs. While pedestrians don’t have to be briefed when it comes to construction sites, you do need to be at least aware of the signages that are around the place. If you see certain signages such as cautionary warnings of falling debris, slippery surfaces, or even the plain declaration that a place is indeed a construction site, do be extra wary of your surroundings.
- If you have to pass a construction site, be on high alert about everything. Chances are you’ll have to put some distance between yourself and the construction site in itself, which means you may be putting yourself closer to the road than the sidewalk at the side of the construction site. This means you have to be wary of both the construction site and the roads around you.
- Consider wearing safety equipment. If you’ve noticed that a construction site has appeared in your usual route to school or to work, it wouldn’t be so bad to wear safety equipment such as a helmet and joint guards if you have some at home. You might look a bit ridiculous being out there in the open with such equipment, but the added protection they offer can be of great assistance in the long run.
- Converse with the workers when they’re not busy to get to know the intricacies. If you’ve noticed that some of the construction workers are taking a break, do try to approach them to see if there are tips they could give to ensure your safety as a pedestrian that specifically applies to the kind of building they’re creating.
- Avoid them at all costs. Of course, perhaps of all tips available, the most practical would be to avoid the construction site in the first place. Construction sites are already isolated as much as possible could with drapes, signages, and other forms of blocking material to ensure any unsuspecting pedestrians can’t be hurt if anything happens. As such, if you do encounter construction sites and you do have alternatives, it may help to avoid these construction sites and take the alternative roads in the first place.
Conclusion
Remember, it’s important to make sure you’re aware of your surroundings when you’re a pedestrian, but this is much more so apparent if you know you’re walking by a construction zone on your way to your destination. Knowing what to do to keep you safe can involve being aware of what’s a potentially-dangerous situation, and what you can do about it. Click here if you’re in need of legal assistance.
