As the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities across the country continue to rise and as Americans grow increasingly weary of the effects of urban sprawl, the pedestrian safety and walkable community movements have been flourishing.

We at Traffic Safety Corporation are proud to offer technological solutions to today's pedestrian safety challenges. However, although most of the people we hear from worry about the safety of kids walking to school or seniors crossing the street, few know how to take their concern to the next level and get something done.

That's why we decided to give you, the concerned citizen, a set of tools that you can use to build safer communities for all pedestrians.

If you're like most of the people interested in our products, you want to fix a very specific problem. Advocacy that addresses this kind of goal is called "Short Term Advocacy" and it's this type of advocacy we'll address here.

So, perhaps you've noticed that there's a crosswalk site in your community that has a long history of accidents. Maybe a child or senior in your community has been killed recently while crossing the street. Or perhaps you've heard complaints about crosswalks where people "just don't feel safe."

Whatever the case, there are specific steps you can take to determine whether a lighted crosswalk system can help solve the pedestrian safety problems you see in your community.

Please note: We encourage and applaud groups doing Long Term Advocacy – those working on campaigns to create safer, more walkable communities in general. However, these movements require a level of advocacy expertise that we don't possess and that's why we won't address it here. If you'd like to get involved with one of these organizations, that's great! For a list click here.