Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

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Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners A road traffic crash is a collision or incident involving at least one road vehicle in motion, on a public road or private road to which the public has right of access, resulting in at least one injured or killed person. Included are: collisions between road vehicles; between road vehicles and pedestrians; between road vehicles and animals or fixed obstacles or with one road vehicle alone. Included are collisions between road and rail vehicles (6). Reduction or elimination of the risks faced by pedestrians is an important and achievable policy goal. Pedestrian collisions, like other road traffic crashes, should not be accepted as inevitable because they are, in fact, both predictable and preventable (7). There is a close association between the walking environment and pedestrian safety. Walking in an environment that lacks pedestrian infrastructure and that permits use of high-speed vehicles increases the risk of pedestrian injury. The risk of a motor vehicle colliding with a pedestrian increases in proportion to the number of motor vehicles interacting with pedestrians (8,9). 1: Why is addressing pedestrian safety necessary? Pedestrian safety measures improve walking environments and contribute to urban renewal, local economic growth, social cohesion, improved air quality and reduction in the harmful effects of traffic noise (10–13). They also have supplementary benefits for other road users, such as motorists and cyclists. Implementation of safety measures requires commitment and informed decision-making by government, industry, nongovernmental organizations and international organizations. Effective measures to improve pedestrian traffic safety are described in Module 4. 1.1.2 The Safe System approach and pedestrian safety Conventional analysis of road traffic injury risk has considered road users, vehicles and the road environment separately (14). There is also a tendency among researchers and practitioners to focus on one or few factors, when in reality several interacting factors typically define any specific road traffic context (14,15). This uneven focus can limit the effectiveness of road traffic injury prevention efforts and may lead to an emphasis on interventions that leave pedestrians at risk. The Safe System approach (see Figure 1.1) addresses risk factors and interventions related to road users, vehicles and the road environment in an integrated manner, allowing for more effective prevention measures (16, 17). This approach has been shown to be appropriate and effective in several settings around the world, in some cases facilitating road safety gains where further progress had proved to be a challenge (18). 5
Why is addressing pedestrian safety necessary? Figure 1.1 Safe system approach Admittance to system Safer travel Understanding crashes and risks Alert and compliant road users Safer speeds (lower speeds more forgiving of human error) Human tolerance Safer vehicles Safer roads and roadsides (more forgiving of human error) Education and information supporting road users Enforcement of road rules Source: 16 The Safe System approach to road safety recognizes that transport is important to society, and advances the view that travel should be safe for all road users as they interact with roads and vehicles to facilitate movement. The aim of the Safe System approach is the elimination of fatal crashes and reduction of serious injuries through provision of a safe transport system that is forgiving of human error and takes into account people’s vulnerability to serious injury. This is done through a policy focus on road infrastructure, vehicles and travel speeds, supported by a range of activities in education, behaviour change, regulation, enforcement and penalties. The key principles of the Safe System approach are summarized as follows (16): • Recognition of human error in the transport system: People will make mistakes in traffic that can easily lead to injuries and death. The Safe System approach does not ignore road user behaviour interventions but emphasizes that behaviour is just one of many necessary elements to promote safety on the road. • Recognition of human physical vulnerability and limits: People have a limited tolerance to violent force, beyond which serious injury or death occurs. • Promotion of system accountability: Responsibility for traffic safety must be shared between road users and system designers. While road users are expected to comply 6
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The city of The Hague is located in
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4.2.2 Reducing vehicle speeds Pedes
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BOX 4.10: Pedestrians with disabili
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5 Evaluating pedestrian safety prog
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• 79% of the crashes that killed
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BOX 5.4: ‘Living End Roads’ The
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AAppendices
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World Health Organization 20 Avenue
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