Jersey Pedestrians Warned About The Dangers Of Walking [AUDIO]

The New Jersey State Police is urging pedestrians to be extra careful this holiday season. NJSP Lut. Stephen Jones says during last year's Christmas season - and this past Thanksgiving, a total of 12 pedestrians were killed - and "alcohol is definitely involved in a good number of these pedestrian deaths, so - drunk walking if you will - can end up being just as dangerous as drunk driving."

He says "for years we've just emphasized don't get behind the wheel if you're drunk- and now with these statistics, we're saying - don't go out crossing roads if you're drunk - it's definitely going to be a recipe for disaster there - people need to be in control and know where they're going and what they're doing, because we've seen a lot of people who are just unfortunately over the limit, trying to walk home and get run over by a car because they stumble right into the road at the wrong time."

Lut. Jones adds pedestrians need to be careful about several other things as well.

"People seem to be wearing much larger headphones when listening to music than they used to" he says, "it used to be the little buds, and now they're wearing these larger, noise-canceling headphones - well that's going to cancel out everything, including the noise of an on-coming car, so that's probably not a good idea.

In addition, he points out distracted walking can also be dangerous.

"We've seen YouTube videos where somebody falls in a fountain cause they're texting" says Jones, "well that same scenario can play out on the highways…and we need to pay attention to the cars coming up to a walkway- don't assume they're going to stop just because you're in a legal walking cross-walk…pedestrians need to remember distracted driving is a big problem - so good eye contact between the pedestrian and the driver is a real good idea- to make sure that car is going to stop before you commit to crossing a street."

Jones adds "walking at nighttime can be hazardous regardless of where you are - and especially where there's areas without a walkway…if people have to walk along a road, they should try to wear reflective or bright clothing - also walking against the flow of traffic allows you to see cars, and make sure they're not coming up way too close to you."