Pedestrian Safety Published Jan. 20, 2012 By James Moats 452 AMW/SE MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- Historically in the USAF motor vehicle and pedestrian mishaps are the major categories of all fatalities and serious injuries. In recent months the 452 AMW Safety Office has received an increase of near-miss reports involving personnel running on, or crossing streets, who are not visible to drivers at night. We have also observed many occasions where vehicles are not yielding to pedestrians. All motor vehicle operators are required to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, and pedestrians have the right-of-way even if they are not in a crosswalk. Pedestrians also need to make sure the vehicle operators see them before they begin crossing, do not assume the vehicle will stop. If you are wearing ABU's, remember this uniform was designed to make you hard to see. Let's all work together to reverse this trend and prevent a serious mishap. As a reminder individuals are not authorized to jog, run or walk on roadways with high traffic density and/or during peak traffic periods, as determined by the installation commander. Road guards or safety spotters must be used to safely control traffic for formation runs or group running events. The U.S. Air Force Traffic Safety Program, AFI 91-207, 3.5.2, states, "When jogging or running on roadways at night or in inclement weather (e.g., fog, rain, sleet, snow, etc.), personnel will wear clothing containing retro-reflective properties or retro-reflective accessories visible from the front and back." Many runners we have observed are not wearing reflective belts or PT gear which has retro-reflective material on it. I encourage supervisors, commanders and unit safety representatives to review the USAF Traffic Safety Program to ensure everyone is familiar with and in compliance with its requirements. For more information on traffic safety please review AFI91-207 (27 OCT 11) or give us a call at Wing Safety.