Each year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads. Many leave their homes as they would on any given day — to school, work, places of worship, homes of friends — never to return. Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths, and in some countries this proportion is as high as two thirds. Millions more people are injured in traffic-related crashes while walking, some of whom become permanently disabled. These incidents cause much suffering and grief as well as economic hardship for families and loved ones. The capacity to respond to pedestrian safety is an important component of efforts to prevent road traffic injuries. Pedestrian collisions, like other road traffic crashes, should not be accepted as inevitable because they are, in fact, both predictable and preventable. The key risks to pedestrians are well documented, and they include issues related to a broad range of factors: driver behaviour, particularly in relation to speeding as well as drinking and driving ; infrastructure in terms of a lack of dedicated facilities for pedestrians such as sidewalks, crossings and raised medians; and vehicle design in terms of solid vehicle fronts that are not forgiving to pedestrians should they be struck. Poor trauma care services in many settings also thwart efforts to provide the urgent treatment needed to save pedestrian lives in the event of a collision. Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners describes: the magnitude of pedestrian deaths and injuries; key risk factors; ways of assessing the pedestrian safety situation in a given setting and prepare an action plan; and how to select, design, implement and evaluate effective interventions. The manual stresses the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes engineering, legislation and enforcement as well as behavioural measures. It also draws attention to the benefits of walking, which should be promoted as an important mode of transport given its potential to improve health and preserve the environment. (Author/publisher)
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