Thursday, March 28, 2024
NewsScottish News"Careless" pedestrians cause thousands of accidents a year, it is revealed

“Careless” pedestrians cause thousands of accidents a year, it is revealed

Pedestrians “failing to look properly” is one of the main reasons for thousands of road accidents, it has been revealed.

New figures, released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, also show that pedestrians who are “careless, reckless or in a hurry” were a major factor in vehicle crashes.

The numbers, obtained from a Freedom of Information request, asked Police Scotland for the most common pairs of contributory factors reported at accidents in 2013.

"Careless" pedestrians have caused thousands of accidents
“Careless” pedestrians have caused thousands of accidents

 

Police can record up to six contributory factors for each incident to explain why they think a crash took place – with the top two giving the most obvious reasons for the accident.

Last month IAMS reported that ‘failure to look properly’ and ‘failure to judge other person’s path or speed’ was the biggest pairing of factors when it came to vehicles in accidents.

And now, the pairings of factors listed by police for all pedestrian casualties in accidents can be revealed.

‘Pedestrian failed to look properly’ and ‘pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry’ were named as factors in 4,100 accidents – clearly putting them in first place.

The remainder of the factor combinations listed are as follows:

2. ‘Pedestrian crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle’ with ‘pedestrian failed to look properly’ – 1,961 casualties (11%)

3. ‘Pedestrian failed to judge vehicle’s path or speed’ with ‘pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry – 1,204 casualties (7%)

4. ‘Pedestrian crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle’ with ‘pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry’ – 1,013 casualties (6%)

Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “Pedestrian fatalities are rising faster than any other group right now so it is vital that drivers are more sympathetic and aware of pedestrians when they make their journeys.

“There is no need to blame any party when it comes to how to reduce the numbers of people killed and injured on our roads – all road users need to look out for each other and ensure we minimise the impact of our own and others unpredictable behaviour.”

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