Do You Run With Or Against Traffic
Olivia Luz
You should be too.
When you run outside you should run against traffic. Jean knaack executive director of the road runners club of america encourages runners to go against traffic. Against it it s the law. But if the shoulder is the only option laws in the district maryland and virginia say they must run against traffic.
So the best way to prevent an untimely meeting with one of these vehicles is to be able to see them. In our small town by law pedestrians must walk or run against traffic. You are not a vehicle. This is much safer than having cars at your back.
Not all runners realize it but they may be breaking the law if they run with traffic. It s a judgment call common sense prevailing. A bicycle is considered a vehicle so it is subject to the same laws as cars and trucks. If you re in the dark or low light conditions you ll be able to see oncoming headlights.
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If there s a sidewalk the law says that s where they should be. I m not sure there is an actual law on the books in atlanta or other areas that states runners must run against the traffic. The reason being is because if a car is approaching you from behind you only have your ears to rely on to let you know it s coming. With because cars coming in an intersection are not expecting people running towards them on their lane the same way they do not expect cars to be going against the flow of traffic.Running against traffic allows you to see incoming vehicles and to react to them. On the other hand cyclists ride with traffic. So i would run against traffic. You are a runner.
The sidewalks are better on one side of the street so you do see quite a few runners running with the traffic when they are running strictly on the sidewalk. If you ever encounter this the national highway traffic safety administration says you should walk facing traffic. I have allways seen and been told to run against the traffic against.
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