Pedestrian and motorist road safety tips

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- As the weather continues to get warmer more people will begin enjoying outdoor activities.

That means more children will be outside playing and more pedestrians will be out walking, and drivers will need to be more cautious on the road. Lieutenant Chris Rice said it’s important for parents to talk to their children about playing safely outdoors.

“It is very paramount that parents do keep any eye on their children, but they do have a tendency of getting out into the street,” said Rice. “The children when they’re out front playing in front of their houses playing with balls or anything they need…be very cognizance of the flow of traffic, looking both ways before they do cross the street, finding the nearest crosswalk is very important.”

Rice said drivers will need to be extra careful as well. They’ll need to look out for children darting from between cars and other dangers they may cross.

“Drivers need to be very cognizance of, you know, the area that they’re traveling in. If they’re in a residential area they need to slow down,” said Rice. “Need to make sure that they are paying attention to the speed limit signs, and being aware of their surroundings and not messing with their cell phones or other devices inside of their vehicles.”

Rice also said bicyclists need to know and understand their rights on the road. You can visit our website for more information.

“As far as bicycle safety goes, again like we talked about just on earlier, ensure that you do have the proper safety equipment on your bicycle if you are going to be riding at night. Reflective gear, helmet, white light that, you know, shines to the front of the bike and a red reflector on the back end of your bike,” Rice advised. “Make sure you aren’t riding on the sidewalks. Make sure you are riding on the street just like you are driving a car. You need to be on the right side of the roadway and the safest place nearest the curb that you can be.”