Q: My husband and I have started to take daily walks around our neighborhood for exercise. We live in an area with heavy street traffic and want to know if there are any rules we should keep in mind as pedestrians. Do you have any advice?A: Thank you for seeking out information about how to be a safe pedestrian! One out of every six traffic fatalities is a pedestrian, so it is important for you to be informed. The California Driver Handbook offers these tips to pedestrians: *Never "jaywalk," or cross a street between intersections. Always cross at a crosswalk. *Do not suddenly leave a curb or other safe place and walk or run into the path of a vehicle close enough to be a danger to you. *If there is no sidewalk, walk in the direction that faces the oncoming traffic *When a signal first changes to green or "WALK" for you to cross, look left, right, and then left again and yield the right of way to any vehicle in the intersection before you cross the street. *At night, make yourself more visible by wearing white clothing and retro-reflective materials or by carrying a flashlight. *Most importantly, always be aware of what is going on around you! Q: I have decided that I want to be an organ and tissue donor. My license doesn't expire for another three years and I want to change my organ donor status now. How can I do this? A: You do not have to wait until your license expires to update your organ and tissue donor status! Simply visit DMV.ca.gov. From there you can become a registered donor, read answers to frequently asked questions and real life organ donor and recipient stories. Congratulations on your decision to become an organ and tissue donor!

********** Published: July 12, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 13