Many people like to go jogging on trails or running on treadmills at the gym, attempting to avoid the road. However, there are those who don’t have access to trails and don’t like to run inside, so they spend most of their time running on sidewalks or even in the road itself.
If you do this, the first thing to remember about safety is that you never want to get complacent. You may feel very confident running on streets that you run on consistently, but you always need to be wary that a single mistake by a driver could lead to serious injuries. Here are a few more things you can do to stay safe.
Face the oncoming traffic
When you’re in the street, you always want to be facing traffic, not running along with it. This separates you from cyclists, who ride with traffic, and it also means that you see if a car coming toward you is drifting off the road and onto the shoulder.
Use lights when running in the dark
It’s very dangerous to run in the dark because drivers will not see you at crosswalks or driveways. If you do need to run after the sun goes down, it’s best to wear a headlamp or an LED light vest that makes you stand out.
Don’t run with headphones
It may help you run faster to listen to music while you jog, and it may help to pass the time, but it’s also a distraction. If you really want to be safe, it’s best not to have your headphones on so that you can hear traffic
These safety tips can help, but you could still be injured, and you need to know how to seek financial compensation if you’re injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault.