There are a large number of people of who move about in traffic as pedestrians. Although this is a commonly used form of transportation, it is also a transportation means in which people are very vulnerable as road users. Pedestrians are namely 9 times more likely to die in traffic than vehicle drivers. In this report a number of possible measures around infrastructure, technology and pedestrians are discussed to help reduce the number of pedestrians who die or are injured in accidents. In addition to this, the applicable legislation in Belgium is also taken into consideration. Finally, the characteristics of pedestrians who end up as casualties are also looked at. The pedestrian: one of the most vulnerable road users as it turns out in this file. Pedestrians are the least protected against impact in comparison with all other road users; hence the reason that many accidents involving pedestrians do not end well. The number of pedestrians who die in Europe show a decreasing trend, with less than 6000 fatalities in 2010. This is a hopeful trend but becomes less positive when we look at the proportion of pedestrian fatalities. This proportion has continued to rise over a number of years. This shows that other transport means have become safer than travelling on foot. When we look at Belgian figures we see an approximate similar trend: first a decrease in pedestrian accident victims, but since 2004-2005 there has been a stagnation and a rising proportion of victims in comparison with other transportation means. When a comparison is made between different transportation means it shows that pedestrians, per kilometre covered, have an average 8.7 higher chance of being seriously injured or dying in traffic than a driver. When the risk of serious or fatal injuries is looked at, we first have to look at the risk of an accident and the vulnerability of the road user who is involved in an accident. The in the case of pedestrians it is primarily individuals 65 years and older who incur more serious injuries seeing as they are more vulnerable than other categories. Youth (12 to 17) are also extra vulnerable in traffic. They are more likely to be involved in an accident since they take more risks in traffic. When people get older the extra risk is compensated for by expertise and experience gained over the years. Notable is that 90% of all pedestrian accidents (regardless of the seriousness) take place within built-up areas. Pedestrian accidents which occur outside the built-up areas, on the other hand, are more serious with 30% of fatal pedestrian accidents happening outside the built-up areas. Furthermore, less pedestrian accidents happen in summer than in winter. This is possibly due to a number of factors: in the winter there are less daylight hours than in summer which indicates that visibility can play a role. Another possible explanation is that more kilometres are covered by foot together with a reduction of vehicles per kilometre. The seriousness of accidents also linked to the vehicle with which a person comes into contact with during the impact. 5% of passengers are involved in an accident with a delivery van but with fatal accidents the delivery van is in 9% of the incidents the counterparty. With lorries the difference is even stronger; here they are the counterparty for only 2% of all accidents, but in 16% of fatal accidents. When fatal accidents are divided into provinces it is striking that in Flanders the counterparty of the pedestrian is often a lorry. In Walloon it is more often a passenger vehicle. Due to the city’s character, notably less accidents with passenger vehicles occur in the Brussels Capital Region. In the Brussels Capital Region 16% of fatal pedestrian accidents the counterparty is a tram. To create an environment where less accidents happen with pedestrians measures can be taken at different levels. On the level of infrastructure measures can be taken to limit exposure between pedestrians and motorised traffic. In this manner different forms of transport can be separated from each other. When this is not possible the option of speed reduction must be taken. Better visibility must be ensured, not only at infrastructural level but also from road user level. Education and upbringing plays an important role. Pedestrians need to know that they are not so visible and driving lessons need to pay extra attention to vulnerable road users. Measures can also be taken at the level of vehicle technology; there are systems which can regulate the speed and also help avoid accidents. When an accident is unavoidable, the consequences need to be limited. Naturally measures taken must be supported by clear and understandable regulations. (Author/publisher)
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