crosswalk

Street Safety Tips

When Driving

  • Remember that operating a motor vehicle is a privilege, not a right. Keep in mind that about 40K people get killed every year in the U.S. in traffic violence, and many more are injured. Driving a car is a huge responsibility. Knowing how to drive safely is extremely important. Consider taking a driver’s class to get refreshed on driving skills and stay familiarized with new street designs if needed. Be sure to be well acquainted with the law. Learn more at https://www.dmv.ca.gov/. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition occasionally offers free bike-safe driving classes — check their site for upcoming classes.
  • Speeding is a leading cause of death and injury on Alameda’s streets. Don’t do it. Plan ahead and give yourself extra time so you don’t feel rushed. 
  • Failure to yield is another leading cause of death and injury on Alameda’s streets. Yield the right-of-way as required by law. When in doubt, yield the right of way anyway. Their safety is worth the extra few seconds of delay.
  • Don’t drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • Always maintain full attention on driving. Distracted driving is very dangerous. Even talking can be distracting. Learn about what distracted driving is, and how to avoid it.
  • Be aware of blind spots in your vehicle, like the A-pillar blind spot.
  • If conditions are sub-optimal (rain, darkness, fog, glare), adjust your driving habits so you have more reaction time, or consider not driving at all. Be aware of how aging impacts your vision and driving skills, too. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help minimize the issues around challenging conditions, from policedriver.com:
    • Adjust your speed to the range of your headlights. 
    • Keep your eyes moving; search the edges of the lighted area. Where there are many distracting signs or brightly lighted buildings, try to concentrate on street level activities.
    • Protect your eyes from glare, which can temporarily ruin your night vision, lead to eyestrain and drowsiness. Wear good sunglasses on bright days and take them off as soon as the sun goes down.
    • Keep windshields and headlight lenses clean.
  • If you purchase a car, avoid larger vehicles with more mass, taller hoods, big blind spots, and slower braking times, because these are particularly deadly in crashes with pedestrians and smaller, lighter vehicles.
  • Many of our streets were designed to optimize fast and inattentive driving, which unfortunately works counter to safety goals. Needed change is coming, but change is never easy. Support our city in making proven street redesign changes that effectively self-enforce slower and more careful driving, like road diets, tighter corners, modern roundabouts, and protected intersections. Support efforts to improve visibility, like daylighting, even if it means loss of parking. Support facilities for more vulnerable users, like protected bike lanes and sidewalk bulb-outs.
  • When opening doors, always check for oncoming bicyclists. Learn about the “Dutch Reach.”
  • If you see things on our streets that need attention (like poor visibility because of broken street lights or lack of daylighting on corners), use See Click Fix, available as an app or at https://seeclickfix.com/, to report it.

When Biking

  • If you are not familiar with bicycle laws, visit https://www.calbike.org/go_for_a_ride./california_bicycle_laws/
  • To hone your skills, consider a bicycle education class through Bike East Bay: https://bikeeastbay.org/education.
  • In Alameda, riding on sidewalks is legal unless posted otherwise (typically in business districts, during business hours). 
  • On shared facilities, be respectful and courteous to slower bicyclists and pedestrians; pass on the right and avoid startling people by slowing down and letting them know you are approaching.
  • Yield to pedestrians.
  • Help identify areas where safety is an issue by using See Click Fix (available as an app or at https://seeclickfix.com/); please report close calls here, too: under “Street Safety Concerns”, check the best “Near-miss” option that applies.
  • If you encounter cars parking in bike lanes, report it to the non-emergency police number (510-337-8340).

When Walking

  • Be attentive when crossing streets.
  • If circumstances are such that you are walking or running in the street, on a Slow Street for example, it’s best to face on-coming traffic.
  • Help identify areas where safety is an issue by using See Click Fix (available as an app or at https://seeclickfix.com/); please report close calls here, too: under “Street Safety Concerns”, check the best “Near-miss” option that applies.

 

Safety for Children

Many parents overestimate their children’s street-crossing ability. The truth is that many elementary-school-aged children still don’t understand traffic signals and patterns and can confuse left and right when crossing a street. Here are some tips to consider:

  • Make sure children under age 10 are supervised when crossing the street. You may also need to supervise older children, especially when they cross streets with heavy traffic or more than two lanes.
  • Teach children to look left-right-left again before crossing a street and to keep looking as they cross. Practice this behavior with them until they master it.
  • At intersections, teach children to check for approaching vehicles before crossing even with the green light or “walk” sign on, and to watch for turning cars.
  • Teach children to cross streets at a corner, use crosswalks when possible, and obey the traffic signals; when in a crosswalk and one car has stopped, be watchful that all other cars also stop.
  • Consider having them wear light-colored clothing or use reflective tape if walking in low-visibility conditions.
  • Teach them to obey the school safety patrol, crossing guard, or police officer when walking near a school.