We are enjoying a pretty nice start to October, which means a lot of walkers are sharing the roads with vehicles.  However, days are getting shorter and doing those things in darker conditions can be extremely dangerous.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says that fall is the deadliest time for pedestrians.  Last year, 17 pedestrians were killed and 837 were injured. This year so far, 23 pedestrians were killed and 655 were injured.

If you are driving or walking where there are crosswalks, remember the crosswalk law includes these points:

  • Motorists should stop for crossing pedestrians at marked crosswalks and at all intersections without crosswalks or stop lights.
  • Pedestrians must obey traffic signs and signals at all intersections that have them.
  • Vehicles stopped for pedestrians can proceed once the pedestrian has completely crossed the lane in front of the stopped vehicle.
  • Pedestrians shouldn’t enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is approaching and it is impossible for the driver to stop. There is no defined distance that a pedestrian must abide by before entering the crosswalk; common sense should be used.

If you are out in neighborhoods, drivers should on alert for walkers or bike riders and anyone outside near the roads should wear reflective clothing so they can more easily be seen.

It all comes to down to playing it safe and looking out for each other.

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