“We have so many crosswalks on this base; it’s just people choose not to use them,” he said. “There’s a huge issue with personnel walking on the base that don’t use crosswalks.”
He said people may be crossing the street illegally because it’s easier than walking the extra steps to use a crosswalk.
“Please use the crosswalks that have been provided,” Phillips said.
With ongoing and upcoming construction, Phillips said pedestrians should be aware of where roads and sidewalks have been blocked off or rerouted. Also, be aware of areas where work has created uneven pavement to avoid slips, trips and falls, he said.
“If there’s a piece of sidewalk that’s closed – adhere to that – don’t just traverse through it because it’s the shortest route from point A to point B,” he said.
He said people should make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.
“Just take a second to look left, look right, and make sure that it’s clear to cross the road before crossing,” he said.
When walking on base at night or early morning when it’s still dark, Phillips said people should either wear light colored clothing or carry a light to alert drivers of their presence when crossing the street.
He had several more safety points to add.
Don’t text while crossing the street, he said.
“Take two minutes, put your phone down and pay attention; cross the street and continue on,” Phillips said.
Drivers shouldn’t use cellphones when driving on base either, he said.
Be aware of your surroundings, which Phillips noted includes removing headphones.
“Running, jogging or walking with headphones in contributes to you not always hearing your surroundings,” he said. “So when walking up to a crosswalk or street, you may not hear oncoming traffic or a vehicle coming down the road.”
In parking garages or parking lots, pedestrians should look out for vehicles backing up and drivers should be aware of pedestrians, he said.
“Use the crosswalks that have been provided, you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere on this installation going from one side to the other side that you can’t find a crosswalk,” Phillips said. “Statistically speaking, drivers will normally pay more attention if they know there’s a crosswalk coming up.”
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2018 08:24 |
| Story ID: | 261835 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Crosswalk Use Encouraged to Increase Pedestrian Safety, by Andrew Damstedt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
