Avoiding Tragedy

I just read an article in our local paper about a 16-year-old girl who died from injuries after being struck by a car this past Monday evening. The story left me with some questions...

The road she was walking along snakes around a bit and never actually goes east (though that was reported in the story), it goes south-southeast then turns to go slightly northeast. There is one section that probably is directly eastbound and it is just after a curve to the right.

She was walking on the right side of the road in the same direction of traffic (which is a no-no everywhere) with her boyfriend (who was to her right) and was, according to the story, on the "roadway near the side of the road." There are no sidewalks along this road but there is adequate room on the grassway alongside. It was dark (sunset occurred a little after 7PM and the accident happened at 7:55)

In my opinion, this could have been avoided by walking on the correct side of the road (facing traffic) and by being completely off the asphalt. Yes, sidewalks could have helped but we don't have many of those in Florida.

And now a young girl has lost her life.

I see people walking the wrong way, and on roads rather than alongside them, as well as people on bicycles on the oncoming side of the road (a violation of traffic laws) and do not understand it.

I was taught to walk on a sidewalk and, if there wasn't one, to walk facing traffic and to not be in the road at all. I was also taught to ride my bicycle on the right (with traffic, not against it).