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Can 3 dimensional crosswalks protect pedestrians from being hit?

Some fourth-graders in Massachusetts have come up with an innovative way to try and curb pedestrian accidents near their school. They want other schools in their district and other parts of the country to adopt and implement their idea as well.

A 10-year-old Medford elementary school student and her male classmate came up with the idea of painting an optical illusion crosswalk nearby their own school’s campus after seeing similar ones depicted in pictures in China, Germany and Iceland.

The female student noted that she has often watched as motorists speed down the street near her school. They often fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and often run stop signs. Then her male classmate’s brother almost got hit while crossing the street one day. This is when their plans for a three dimensional (3D) crosswalk came into sharper focus.

In researching ways that other countries have tried to keep pedestrians safe, they discovered that there may be some actual worth to 3D crosswalks. They found that these optical illusions make motorists think that they’re coming up on actual solid objects in their path. Since they don’t want to damage their cars, they’ve found that motorists tend to slow down and look a second time before approaching these unique crosswalks.

When they presented their idea to their city’s mayor, the fourth graders didn’t have much trouble in convincing them of the benefits of having such crosswalks completed nearby schools throughout their district.

The Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility student plans to take her idea to other states as well. She hopes that it will decrease the number of pedestrians who get hit. In 2017 alone, as many as 193,000 Americans were injured after being struck by a car.

Distracted, drowsy and drunk driving, speeding and other negligent behaviors are often to blame for these types of crashes here in Hayward and throughout the state of California and other parts of the United States. If you’ve been seriously hurt in such an incident, then an auto-pedestrian accidents attorney can fight for your rights against powerful insurance companies on your behalf.

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