Many serious personal injury accidents happen to us when we are not paying attention. Many of the factors behind many of the accidents we hear about daily involve, to some extent, distraction, and because of that, experts have decided to call out the public to make them aware of the risks associated with distracted walking.

To prevent accidents that could expose you to major risks while you’re walking, experts urge you to make sure you’re not distracted by electronics, especially smartphones. Unfortunately for pedestrians, the rise in the use of smartphones is exposing them to serious and at times deadly personal injury accidents.

When it comes to following certain steps to avoid accidents, the number one thing you should always keep in mind as a pedestrian is to walk on a sidewalk or path whenever possible. Making sure you use pedestrian-friendly paths can help you to avoid accidents mostly because you’ll never be in a car’s way. Following pedestrian signs and making sure that you also respect traffic lights can also help you to avoid personal injury accidents. Experts say that, if you do not have access to paths or sidewalks for some reason, you should always walk facing traffic and on the shoulder, as far away from the vehicles as you can.

Attention is your best friend when walking. If you’re often distracted while walking, you’re more likely to be involved in an accident than a pedestrian who’s focused on the road and is not making use of his or her phone at all times.

The use of headphones could also cause you to be involved in a personal injury accident mostly because you may not hear horns or other warning sounds near you, increasing the risk of an accident. While headphones are not the only culprits, making sure you’re aware of your environment will help you to prevent accidents that could put you in serious danger.

When walking at night, avoid assuming drivers can see you. Too often, drivers are also distracted, either by a phone, a passenger, or other cars. Assuming the driver is not seeing you will help to avoid accidents. According to experts, making eye contact with drivers as they approach you is essential. Do not cross in front of a vehicle before you know the driver has seen you and is slowing down or stopped.

Experts urge pedestrians to predictable at all times by either using intersections or crosswalks to cross the roads. Drivers already expect to see pedestrians doing that.

If you’re curious to know more about what you should do to ensure you’re avoiding personal injury accidents, follow this link.