Pedestrians be safe while your walking

If you are a walker, jogger or runner in the State of Wyoming you can breathe a little easier knowing our state is ranked 50th in pedestrian fatalities, making us the safest in the country.

Of course, a lot of that safety comes from a lower population since looking at the highest ranked place for getting hit by a vehicle is in Newark, New Jersey with a population of nearly 20 million people. Just over 28-percent of their statewide fatalities are pedestrians.

They’re followed by New York where almost 27-percent of their fatalities are pedestrians.

Way down at the bottom of the list you find Wyoming with just 3.88-percent of our total fatalities being pedestrians.

The most recent pedestrian fatality in the state was in Casper in early August when a man was struck by a vehicle around 9 p.m. In spite of the best efforts of emergency personnel, the pedestrian succumbed to his injuries.

Nationwide, pedestrian deaths are at a 30-year high, due in part to inattentive drivers and pedestrians, mostly using cellphones. Another factor in the rise in deaths is the size of vehicles on the road according to Wyoming Public Media.

The popularity in Wyoming of big, jacked-up trucks and SUV’s makes it much harder for those drivers to see pedestrians in crosswalks much less along the side of the road.

The blame doesn’t all fall to the drivers, however.

Pedestrians, especially those running or jogging, have a tendency to have ear-buds in listening to music as they’re doing their workout. This causes them to not only not pay attention to what is around them, they are also blocking out any road sounds so they may not hear a car horn honking at them if they happen to stray into the street.

Drugs and alcohol also play a big part in Wyoming’s pedestrian fatalities with one-third of the drivers being impaired when they hit the pedestrian according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).

An interesting characteristic WYDOT has tracked is the time of day when most pedestrian fatalities happen. For instance, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. are a prime time for getting hit (38%), but so is 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (17%) and 9 p.m. to midnight (17%).

Where you live in Wyoming doesn’t seem to have much impact as you are just as likely to be hit in a rural area as an urban one.

WYDOT does have a few thoughts on how to make yourself even safer if you’re out on your two feet.

Walk on the sidewalk whenever possible and if there is no sidewalk, walk on the shoulder, facing traffic.

Stay alert and don’t be distracted by your phone or other devices.

The biggest thing is to be cautious, both night and day, when sharing the road with cars and trucks. Never assume the driver sees you as they could be impaired or distracted. Make eye contact with the driver as they approach to make sure they see you.

Its great you’re getting out there and getting in shape or maybe just relieving some stress, but take a few precautions to make sure you get home in one piece.