Road safety is an issue that is permanently on the table due to the importance it has in preventing traffic accidents, protecting people's lives and minimizing risks on the road. Its main objective is to guarantee the safety of all users of public roads, whether drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or passengers.
Pedestrians are part of the group of vulnerable users. They are those who, due to their condition or particular characteristics, have a higher risk of suffering serious or fatal injuries in traffic accidents. In addition to pedestrians, we also find in this group cyclists, motorcyclists, drivers of personal mobility vehicles (VMP) - electric scooters, essentially -, people with disabilities, the elderly and children.
As far as pedestrians are concerned, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) offers in its publications a whole series of tips to guarantee their safety. Both with regard to the urban environment and outside the town. The common denominator of the recommendations made by Traffic revolves around the fragility of the pedestrian and the risk of being hit.
Crossing a street or highway where there is no traffic light or pedestrian crossing represents a serious danger, as it significantly increases the probability of being hit by a moving vehicle. To prevent an accident, Traffic proposes a simple trick that pedestrians should put into practice every time they are about to cross.
In a tweet recently published on its official Twitter profile, the DGT recommends that pedestrians before crossing a street make sure that the driver has seen them and intends to stop. Next, he recommends using a simple trick to verify that this is the case. “Trick: look at (the driver's) face to see if he is looking at you. If he is looking the other way, it is better not to cross. “He may not have seen you,” the message states.
In the publication, pedestrians are also recommended to take extreme caution on two-way streets. When vehicles circulate on both sides of the road, you must check that no cars are coming looking left or right. First we will look to our left and then to the right, and before crossing we will again make sure that no vehicles are coming from the left side.
Next, we are going to review the general recommendations that the DGT makes to pedestrians to cross a street or highway safely.
When crossing a street, you must take precautions and carefully select the safest place to do so. Whenever possible, it is recommended to use pedestrian crossings, traffic lights or other points regulated by traffic officers. If these options are not available, it is essential to choose a point with good visibility and carry out a visual check in both directions of the road to guarantee a safe crossing in a straight line, without exposing yourself to any potential danger.
The DGT reminds that pedestrians have to circulate in the places reserved for them. By city, it is recommended to use the center of the sidewalks, neither too close to the edge of the road so as not to be hit by a vehicle, nor too close to buildings, in case there are entrances or exits from garages.
When we find ourselves walking outside urban areas, it is even more crucial that we take extreme caution when needing to cross to the other side of the road. In this scenario, it is essential to select the safest places with better visibility to make the crossing.
This involves choosing stretches of road without sharp curves or changes in altitude, as well as avoiding places where trees, vehicles or other obstacles may hinder visibility for both us and drivers. The priority is to ensure that we can see clearly and be seen by oncoming vehicles, thus minimizing the risk of accidents.
A total of 1,746 people lost their lives last year in traffic accidents in Spain, which is 14% more than in 2021 and nine fewer fatalities than in 2019, the last year before the outbreak of the covid pandemic, which It caused mobility restrictions for many months. 50% of these deaths were vulnerable users, of which 437 were motorcyclists, 348 pedestrians, 81 cyclists or 8 who traveled in personal mobility vehicles.
The figures confirm the 9% decrease in pedestrian deaths compared to 2019. It is worth noting that 214 pedestrians died in the city, which represents 13% less than in 2019, the reference year.
