PRAGUE Collisions of cars with pedestrians are increasing on domestic roads. Last year, 3532 such incidents occurred, which is 112 more than in 2017. At the same time, the number of pedestrians who lost their lives in road accidents increased from 101 to 113 people. Historically the smallest number in the box of seriously injured pedestrians can only be taken as a weak comfort.
The alarming fact is that twenty died last year and 106 pedestrians were seriously injured, ie "only" less than one fifth. The rest goes to motorists. This results from an in-depth analysis of the Brno Transport Research Center (CDV), which LN has at its disposal. "Last year 78 percent of the dead pedestrians were killed by motor vehicle drivers," said Veronika Valentová, director of CDV's Traffic Engineering, Safety, and Strategy Division. "Drivers of passenger cars killed 64 pedestrians and seriously injured 321. Due to truck drivers, eight were killed and 47 pedestrians were seriously injured," added Tomas Neřold, head of Besip.
Inattention, whether pedestrians or motorists, most often contributes to the occurrence of accidents between cars and pedestrians. Specifically, pedestrians are not respecting the road rules or alcohol, under whose influence they are not able to respond adequately to the situation. This makes their behavior difficult for the driver to predict. According to Igor Sirota from the Central Automotoclub, the increasing number of cars and the systematic non-compliance with the speed of drivers are also to blame.
This year's numbers look more favorable. From January to June 31 pedestrians died, 202 were injured. In both spheres, these are historical lows. However, the critical period with tragic results traditionally comes in the last quarter of the year.
Pedestrians, along with cyclists, are among the most vulnerable road users. Reason? They are the slowest, do not protect the body and usually do not wear protective features such as bike riders. All the more they should be attentive and watch what is happening around them. It should also be taken into account by motorists, who often do not.
"It is hard to say whether the behavior of drivers towards pedestrians is worse, but certainly not better," described traffic expert Igor Sirota, a spokesman for the Central Automotoclub (ÚAMK). "Some drivers rely too much on having modern technology in their modern cars. But in many cases they are not able to help them in short distances," he said.
In his words, a growing number of accidents involving pedestrians as well as a growing number of cars are responsible for this. Around 5.8 million of them are currently traveling in the Czech Republic, focusing mainly on large cities.
Analysis by the Traffic Research Center showed that last year, as in previous years, more than half of pedestrians died at night. While 55 people died as a result of the accident during the day, 58 during its dark part, or 51 percent. It should be noted, however, that this share was historically the lowest. By contrast, analysts recorded the highest - 67 percent - in 2007.
Most of the lives of pedestrians, more precisely 77 (68 percent), were thwarted in the village. There were 475 incidents during which the infantry was seriously injured.
The February 2016 amendment introduced the obligation for people to have reflective material elements under reduced visibility, but it only applies to occurrences outside the city or village. "We recommend pedestrians to use these elements regardless of whether they are in or outside the village. Visibility significantly increases security," said CDV Director Jindrich Fric.
According to him, a person equipped with a reflective element can be seen up to 200 meters, which is a sufficient distance for an adequate motorist response. To give you an idea: a driver traveling at 75 km / h needs at least 31 meters to make a timely start, which is about one and a half seconds.
"It is necessary to realize that such a trivial thing, such as a reflective tape worth several tens of crowns, can save a life," Fric noted.
Older people are the most vulnerable
The year-on-year increase in the number of accidents involving pedestrians was significantly reflected in the situation in the capital. Last year, 25 people in Prague did not survive a collision with a means of transport, to which 95 more seriously injured joined.
The nation's most endangered group in this respect are older than 65 years. Forty of the 113 people killed last year fell into this age category. "Usually they are people who have a hard time seeing, hearing, have no quick reactions and are not used to this fearsome operation," said Sirota from ÚAMK.
Although statistics have improved for the year 2012, the National Road Safety Strategy, which has since expected almost fewer deaths and injuries since nearly every year, is still failing. Between 2012 and 2018, a total of 848 pedestrians died and another 4084 suffered severe injuries. This means 81 and 125 more than the document had anticipated.
The Czech Republic is slightly below the average even when compared to the rest of Europe. While the continental average share of pedestrians killed on all roads killed was almost 20 percent between 2011 and 2018, it was 22 in the Czech Republic. ). On the other hand, the Dutch (11), Finns (12) and Belgians (13) had the best results. This is confirmed by the conversion of deceased pedestrians to one million inhabitants. While the European average was based on nine people, in the Czech Republic it was 13.
Reducing the fatal consequences of accidents is one of the long-term objectives of the European Union in transport. This should be helped by the fact that all new passenger cars will have to be equipped with safety features from 2022 onwards. Among other things, advanced braking with pedestrian detection or a softer windscreen.
"Assist systems can eliminate possible driver errors and prevent an accident or significantly reduce its consequences. That is why it is advisable to pay attention to them when purchasing a vehicle," said Valentova of CDV.
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