Whether you take walks to enjoy fresh air, for exercise or as a means of getting from point A to point B, you probably understand the importance of following Indiana's traffic laws for pedestrians. Unfortunately, you cannot guarantee that your safety precautions will keep you safe, and in a collision with a vehicle, you will almost certainly come out the loser.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, roughly 70,000 pedestrians were injured by vehicles in 2015, although this does not include the victims who were struck in parking lots. If a vehicle hits you, the severity of the injury can be affected by several factors.

Naturally, the speed of the vehicle is directly related to how badly you are hurt. If it is moving at speeds below 10 mph, your main injuries will come directly from the points of impact on your body. However, above 12 mph, you are also likely to be injured from sliding up the hood and colliding with the windshield. Higher rates of speed may send you flying forward to the ground.

Because the size and design of vehicles are so different, the point of impact will vary, too. For example, a car bumper is likely to hit your knee and the hood to strike your thigh. A young child may sustain these blows on the thigh and the trunk of the body, respectively. An SUV or pickup truck may strike your body instead, which puts you at a much higher risk of fatal injuries from the larger vehicles.