Am I correct to walk my dog on left side of the street (facing oncoming traffic)?

Question

When walking my dog, am I correct to be walking with him on the left side of the street (facing oncoming traffic)? We live in a neighborhood that does not have sidewalks, so we have to walk in the street. There is very little traffic on our streets, so there is not much risk of either myself or my dog getting hit by a car - I just want to verify that I am on the correct side of the road.

As I understand it, when walking/jogging, you should be on the left side of the street (facing oncoming traffic), and when riding a bicycle, you should be on the right side of the street (going in the same direction as traffic). Is this all correct?

I live in Ohio, if that makes any difference.

Answer 1

My mother always said "Ride with, walk against."

You're good! Don't worry!

Answer 2

Yes. No matter where you live, when walking on the road always walk facing traffic. On the left in the US or on the right in UK, Australia, Japan and others who drive on the wrong side. A bicycle is required to follow traffic rules the same as a car.

Answer 3

Yep, you should walk facing traffic, and if you are training the dog, the dog should be on your left side.

Answer 4

It's the safest thing to do, since it's easier for you to see any oncoming vehicles, and they can see you.  Also, it's safe for your dog because he can walk on the ground, where he will be doing his business.  Ideally, you want your dog to walk on your left, so you can free up your right hand for other things.  I always walked mine to the left of me, on the left side of the road.  

I was in a situation like you, where the roads we walked on had no sidewalks.  There was little to no traffic, but any oncoming vehicles could see us, and we them.  This allowed us time to step out of the way if possible, so they wouldn't have to move too far over, especially if there was a vehicle coming in the opposite direction.

A word of advice:  If you walk your dog in the early morning or late evening (before sunrise or after sunset), buy a reflective vest for yourself and a reflective collar for the dog.  You can buy the vest at any hardware store for less than $10, usually found in the safety gear section.  The collars you can find usually with the regular collars at any pet store or pet section of a mass-merchant discount store (Wal-Mart or Target).

Answer 5

You always walk facing the oncoming traffic so you have time to jump out of the way of some crazy driver.