All About Accidents

Between 90 and 120 pedestrians of all ages are killed in traffic accidents every year and sometimes the pedestrian is the one at fault

Though the poor driver is the central figure in all car accident records, it should be noted that pedestrians are also sometimes at fault. Between 90 and 120 pedestrians of all ages are killed in traffic accidents every year. Some jaywalk to death. There is alcohol on the breath of about one in every five adult pedestrians killed in traffic accidents. Two out of every three pedestrians killed are either violating traffic laws or acting in a patently unsafe manner. The following simple rules for pedestrians, if obeyed, will save lives:

1. Cross streets only at pedestrian crossings or traffic lights. Three out of five urban pedestrian deaths occur between intersections.
2. Watch those first few steps into the street.
3. Obey stop signs.
4. Make sure you're clear before you attempt to cross a street or road. Learn to judge the speed of approaching motor vehicles, and don't try to beat them on foot.
5. Walk on the right side of country roads or dark streets where there are no footpaths. You will be in a better position to see cars approaching on your own side of the road.
6. At night on country roads wear light coloured clothing or carry some light coloured object (a half folded newspaper, for example) so that your visibility in an oncoming driver's eyes will be increased.

Not all fatal accidents occur on the road. They also take place at work, at play, and, most frequently, at home.

Home Accidents

Over half of the fatal accidents that take place at home strike people over 65, and one-fifth of them happen to children under 5. The highest accident rates are recorded for two-year old boys. Among the causes of home accidents we must therefore put physical frailty or handicap and poor judgment high on the list, although psychological mechanisms are also at work. Falls are the principal type of fatal home accident. Every home should be repeatedly checked for accident hazards for example, poor lighting, unsafe electrical fixtures, stairways without railings, slippery floors, scatter rugs that slip underfoot, untidy housekeeping that leaves bundles and objects Iying around on floors and staircases.

The kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house, according to accidental-injury records. All types of home accidents occur there: falls, burns, scalds, explosions, internal poisoning, gas poisoning, and suffocation. After the kitchen the chief danger spots around the house, roughly in order of accident frequency, are outside stairs, inside stairs, living room, porch, bedroom, basement, dining room, bathroom, and hallways. Comparatively few fatal accidents, except for carbon monoxide poisoning, occur in the garage. But the outside yard, statistically speaking, is just as dangerous as the kitchen. The essence of accident prevention in the home is good housekeeping coupled with common sense.