You don’t have to search long on YouTube to find amusing videos of pedestrians who fell into a fountain, ran into a street sign, or walked into an escaped bear because they were looking at their phone instead of watching where they were going.
Although these clips are entertaining to watch, they also underscore how dangerous the practice of texting while walking can be. Each year, distracted pedestrians cause numerous accidents here in the Houston area, not to mention the thousands of others that occur throughout the rest of the state and across the country. It’s far too common for a driver to have to swerve or slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a distracted pedestrian, causing a crash or pileup behind them.
If you take safe driving seriously, avoiding distracted pedestrians should be part of your mission when driving in the local area or anywhere there might be people on foot. Here are some tips that can help you do just that:
- Drive defensively around pedestrians—assume they will not see you.
- Drive slowly when approaching crosswalks and leave plenty of space between you and the car in front of you.
- Do not drive distracted yourself, as this could easily compound the problem.
- Be ready to yield to pedestrians, even when you have the right of way. They might not hear you honk your horn if they are wearing headphones.
Unfortunately, even a person’s best efforts sometimes are not enough to prevent an accident. If you’ve been badly injured in a Houston car crash, you may be facing many thousands of dollars in medical bills and related expenses.
Call a Houston car accident attorney who can help you get the compensation you deserve. You can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation today by calling Attorney Steve Lee’s office at (800) 232-3711.