Our Three Cents

1. Make awkward eye contact.

Road running safety is all about attention.

At every intersection or sidewalk driveway, lock eyes with each waiting driver like they’re your lover. Search for that recognition in their eyes that a warm sack of skin and organs is bouncing along in front of their 4,000 pound metal bubble. Make them see that if they move, they’ll squash you. They’re usually looking down at their phone or down the road. Don’t go until you see that they see you.

2. Use hand signals and be loud.

As you’re making eye contact, signal your intention. No, I don’t mean flipping the bird. Point where you’re going. Make it very clear when you have the right of way that you’re about to proceed and the car now has to yield to you. If the driver isn’t looking at you and it’s your turn, get loud and start waving, wildly. Pantomime if you have to: put on show. Get their attention, then make that awkward eye contact, then proceed when safe, then flip them off (just kidding).

3. Drive your usual running routes first.

Always think like a driver when you run. Drive around your local area and learn the streets in your car first. Pay attention to infrastructure defects: where do you have trouble seeing around corners/parked cars and need to roll forward? Where does the road feel narrow? Where is there no sidewalk? Where does everyone drive too fast? Those are spots you should be extra vigilant about your road running safety.

4. Learn the traffic lights.

I’ve learned the traffic light timing at my usual crosswalks (and it changes based on time of day). I can tell you exactly which car should go next and which light is too short — leading to drivers running the red. Based on this data, look every which way, in order of who is waiting and who can hit you. Think of each driver like an eyeball checkpoint that you have to pass before you should proceed.

5. Expect the worst of drivers.

Even if you follow these road running safety tips, people still suck.

If you think that lady in her big SUV is going to go over the speed bump carefully, think again. She’s going to speed around the speed bump instead and onto the road shoulder where your tender little body is running because there’s no sidewalk — all because she needed to get to Starbucks 15 seconds faster. Expect the worst of cars and run defensively: face traffic and always be ready to dodge a road rage driver.

6. Remember what time it is.

Road running safety changes based on traffic patterns.

I typically run in the mid-morning when there’s too much UV, but lighter traffic. School drop-off traffic has cooled off, and the 9-to-5ers are already at their desks. There are still assholes on the road, but the number of cars and hurrying people drops. In contrast, when I run at 5 o’clock, the air is thick with exhaust and road rage. If you have flexibility, run at off-hours in the daylight. If you don’t and have to run at rush hour, remember what time it is at all times.

Also, while it’s tempting to run on the roads at night or before dawn because there are so few cars, I really don’t recommend it. No matter how visible you are, drivers still have worse visibility at night. They’re also tired and often tipsy. It’s a recipe for death.

7. Wear high-vis running gear at all times.

A road running safety tip so obvious, you might forget to follow it.

You’re most visible in a light-colored, bright running outfit with at least one reflective item. I always wear my neon yellow Sport2People running belt. You need to don something flashy that catches drivers’ attention. And for low light and high traffic runs, become a full-on highlighter: neon safety vest, headlamp, reflective shorts, etc. The gaudier the better.

8. Turn down the music.

Your road running safety comes before the beat drop.

I actually like running with headphones. Music gets my adrenaline pumping and motivates me on low-energy runs. I turn off my earbuds’ ANC, but the music still drowns out most outside noise. So, I take my earbuds out any time I’m on the road, crossing an intersection, or on a lonely sidewalk where someone can sneak up behind me. I put them back in on safe sidewalks or on quiet residential roads where I can see cars coming.

9. Know the traffic laws and when to break them.

Knowing your rights and responsibilities as a pedestrian helps with road running safety. For example, in California if a car already legally entered an intersection, you have to wait for them to go. That’s your responsibility to yield. On the flipside, in California, you can run on the side of the road as long as you’re facing traffic. That’s your right as a pedestrian.

California has also stopped enforcing jaywalking violations, which is a good thing. It’s sometimes safer to cross when the coast is clear on empty blocks than at busy intersections. Know your local laws and which ones are enforced, both as a runner and a driver.

10. Blow the shrill whistle.

As every runner knows, we scare drivers. We are unexpected beings intruding on their road space. And when people get scared, they get angry and defensive. A driver almost-running-a-pedestrian-over and then screaming at the lowly biped is a classic scene replayed across American roadways.

Although you’re in the right and they almost killed you, never start a fight with a car. That being said, I like to stay prepared with a very loud whistle. If the driver blocks my way, or gets confrontational, I want to bring attention to the situation. Get bystanders AKA witnesses involved.

Because above all, when you’re running on busy roads, you want everyone to notice you. Be loud, be bright, be observant, be smart, and wear the ugliest damn neon yellow outfit you can find.