When pedestrians are involved in a collision, the most common contributory factor is failing to look properly. This is often in instances where pedestrians are distracted by using a mobile phone or listening to music.
The Facts
Pedestrians make up about 24 per cent of road deaths – second only to people in cars.
Between 2014 and 2022 there has been 38,451 Pedestrian Casualties, 5,624 were seriously injured and 211 of those were killed in Greater Manchester.
The Top 5 Contributing Factors for all parties involved, include
· Poor Pedestrian Behaviour
· Driver/Rider Failure to See/Look/Judge
· Inappropriate or Excessive Speed
· Pedestrian Impairment
· Poor Driving/Riding
The Advice
Be safer as a pedestrian by keeping your head up and paying attention to your surroundings.
See advice from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents - RoSPA and the Government
Advice for Parents/Guardians
When walking near a road it is a good idea to:
- Hold your child’s hand, don’t let them run ahead
- Look out for & encourage your child to be aware of hidden entrances or driveways crossing the pavement
- Put reins on a younger child if they are not strapped in a pushchair
- It can be hard for motorists to see small children, especially when they are reversing, so take extra care.
- Never let your child near a road alone or even with an older child
- Children are generally not ready to cross roads on their own, until they are at least eight years old and many will not be ready, even then.
Crossing the road
When the time comes to teach your child about crossing the road, remember the following:
- Always set a good example by choosing a safe place to cross and explaining what you’re doing
- Let a child help you decide where and when it’s safe to cross
- Tell your child that it’s safest to cross at a pedestrian crossing or a crossing patrol
- Tell your child not to cross where they can’t see far along the road
- Explain that they should not try to cross a road between parked cars, drivers won’t be able to see them very well and the cars might start moving
- Use the Green Cross Code with your child, explain that you must stop at the kerb, then look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing
- When it’s safe to cross, walk straight across the road and keep looking and listening out for traffic
- Remind your children to concentrate, they may be easily distracted, forget what they have been taught and dash out into the road