The best way to stay safe as a pedestrian is to follow a few basic guidelines:

• Obey all signs and signals.
• Walk on sidewalks whenever they’re available. No sidewalk? Stay on the lefthand side of the road so that oncoming traffic is visible.
• Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Check for cars and make eye contact with drivers before and as you cross.
• Be aware of vehicles entering and exiting driveways and parking spaces.

Motorists:

• Keep an eye out for pedestrians at all times.
• Be prepared to slow down or stop as you approach crosswalks.
• Yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and stop well back so that other vehicles have a chance to see them, too.
• Never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. They may be stopping for someone that you can’t see.
• Adhere to the speed limit. The average risk of death from a pedestrian collision reaches 25% at just 32 mph.

Walking is one of the healthiest modes of transportation, keeps streets quieter, and reduces your environmental impact. However, in 2020, 6,516 pedestrians were killed and about 55,000 injured nationwide in vehicular collisions. So, to keep streets in Cornelius a safe place to walk, it'll take all of us making a real effort to look out for one another.