If you’re the parent of a Georgia high school or college athlete, you’ve likely been busy washing uniforms, shopping for cleats and otherwise getting ready for this year’s sports seasons. From cross country running and soccer to basketball and volleyball, cheering on your favorite local teams is a lot of fun and a nice way to bring families and communities together. When a particular sporting event draws a large crowd, there may be increased safety risks involved.
In fact, just walking from your car to a gymnasium entrance can be a life-threatening experience. You may be one of many parents who are pushing a younger child in a stroller or are walking with grandparents or other relatives who have come to see your son or daughter play. Sometimes, if a school parking lot is filled to capacity, you may even have to park a block or two away. As a pedestrian, you are at risk for injury.
Ways to stay as safe as possible
Any time you’re traveling by foot, it’s imperative you remain cautious and alert to your surroundings, especially if there’s moving traffic in the area. The following list includes tips for pedestrian safety that may help you avoid injury:
- Even though you may want to get to your child’s school as swiftly as possible to secure a good seat in the bleachers, it’s always best to use marked cross-ways and intersections with pedestrian traffic signals to get from one side of a road to the other.
- It may be tempting to walk in the street, especially if there aren’t many cars around at the time; however, if a sidewalk is available, it’s always safest to use it.
- Numerous are the memes and videos on social network sites showing pedestrians falling into ditches, bumping into stationary objects or suffering other injuries while walking and looking down at hand-held electronic devices. If you’re walking anywhere, it’s wise to keep your eyes on the path in front of you and the surrounding areas.
If you are pushing a small child in a stroller or holding hands with one or more young children as you walk, you are obviously responsible for the safety of any minor who happens to be in your care at the time. If a child has a scooter or bicycle, it’s best not to allow him or her to use it while crossing a street. Instead, risk of injury decreases if you manually push such vehicles across the road.
You never know when a nearby motorist is going to run a red light or fail to adhere to a stop sign. If a car hits you or your child when you’re walking across the road, on a sidewalk or in a parking lot, the losses you suffer may be substantial. Injuries from pedestrian accidents are often quite serious. Following such accidents, many Georgia pedestrian victims seek recovery for their losses by filing claims in civil court.