Some people walk in Hawaiʻi because they are only visiting and don’t want to pay for a rental vehicle. Other people walk because it is an effective way to get cardiovascular exercise. Whether you walk to work or from your hotel to the beach, you will likely encounter some motor vehicles along the way. As a pedestrian, if you get struck, you could easily suffer severe injuries even at low speeds, and the faster the vehicle travels, the more likely the collision is to cause severe injury and possibly death. There are numerous ways that pedestrians can reduce their risk of a collision, including the three tips below.

Avoid Walking While Intoxicated

Alcohol plays a role in a huge number of pedestrian fatalities. Sometimes, a driver is under the influence when they encounter a pedestrian, which contributes to them causing a crash. Other times, it is the pedestrian who has had too much to drink, and they may not be sufficiently aware of their surroundings to be safe. While it is obviously smarter and safer to walk home after overindulging in alcohol, drunk walking can be very dangerous.

Stay Focused On Your Surroundings

Especially if you walk the same path every day or if you are on your way to work or to meet up with friends, it is normal to handle your mobile phone as you walk. Unfortunately, distraction can be very dangerous for pedestrians, just like it can be for drivers.

If you have your eyes on your phone, you might step out into traffic without realizing there is a vehicle speeding right at you. Keeping yourself alert when walking someplace can give you the opportunity to respond to someone else’s bad choices on the road.

Prioritize Your Visibility

Often, when drivers hit pedestrians, they claim they didn’t see the person before the crash. Wearing bright colors, crossing at marked crosswalks and even making eye contact with drivers in oncoming vehicles could help reduce the chances that they won’t see you and will strike you as a result.

Of course, pedestrians can only do so much to protect themselves, as it is often the people in the vehicles that are to blame for pedestrian crashes. Being proactive about your own safety and holding people accountable for their poor choices can reduce your chances of getting hurt in a car crash as a pedestrian in Hawaiʻi.