The UM police Department reminds you to think about pedestrian safety!

Each year over 85,000 pedestrians are injured or killed by motor vehicles. Most of these incidents were preventable. If you’re walking to a destination on or off campus, please remember that the University of Miami is located within a major urban area. Pedestrian safety is critically important, yet, it is often overlooked. Ideally, drivers and pedestrians should cooperate and yield to whomever has the right of way. However, with an ever increasing number of distractions such as cell phones and iPods, common sense and laws are often overlooked or ignored. Since the human body is no match for a motor vehicle, pedestrian safety must ultimately reside with the pedestrian. Pedestrians should NEVER assume that the driver of a vehicle will look out for them. Consider the following practices to increase your safety as a pedestrian: Always use sidewalks when available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far to the side of the road as possible. On busy streets, like US 1, only cross at an intersection with a marked crosswalk. Never jaywalk. Before crossing a street, always scan for approaching traffic. Obey pedestrian signs as well. When crossing a busy road, walk briskly and continually scan for traffic. Never assume that a driver sees you, or that he/ she will yield to you. Don’t wear headphones while walking. At night, wear bright colored or reflective clothing and carry a flashlight. Above all, use common sense based on the assumption that drivers are not looking out for you. The University takes pedestrian safety very seriously, and as a result, UM Police Officers will issue citations for jay-walking. Please feel free to stop by the UM Police Dispatch window on the ground floor of the Flipse Building for a free “Stepping Out” University of Miami Pedestrian Safety guide. UM Police Officials will also be tabling around campus over the next few weeks distributing pedestrian safety information. Further information on pedestrian safety and jay-walking enforcement is available at www.miami.edu/police or through the Crime Prevention Office at (305) 284-1105.