Crossing the road carelessly

[Gareth]

I read in another forum Crossing the road carelessly contributes to 23,000 accidents a year - quoted from a highly respected document published by the government some years past.

Does anybody know the up-to-date equivalent? Does the government still publish statistics such as these, or are drivers held accountable in all official statistics?

[Prelude]

Don't know Gareth, but 23,000 accidents per year sounds a lot indeed, as careless crossing to me is so avoidable. I'm presuming drivers are exempt from this report, eg. speeding, etc. and that it IS pedestrians who cross the road carelessly?! I narrowly avoided hitting a teenage schoolboy about 6 weeks ago who had crossed the road in between parked cars without looking - totally oblivious to everything, but luckily I was at reduced speed, and my car bumper was only inches from his lanky legs before he actually realised and 'woke up'. I had forked left at the time and as the road is quite hazardess - bends, numerous parked cars, my first thought was to look ahead for traffic as only one car could only get through, unless to squeeze though the gap of parked cars, or skid to a halt ( if they are our local taxi drivers!) and that's when I saw him - Jay Walker, 16, Trumpton Town. Land of Nod, postcode : ID SPA1RE!!

[Gareth]

I'm presuming drivers are exempt from this report, eg. speeding, etc. and that it IS pedestrians who cross the road carelessly?!

I think that "contributes" indicates that this statistic was only concerned with pedestrian behaviour - driver responsibility contributing to accidents would be a separate figure, and of course there would likely have been a high degree of overlap.

I narrowly avoided hitting a teenage schoolboy about 6 weeks ago who had crossed the road in between parked cars without looking - totally oblivious to everything, but luckily I was at reduced speed, and my car bumper was only inches from his lanky legs before he actually realised and 'woke up'.

Well done. It is potentially quite hard, sometimes impossible, to miss a pedestrian who moves briskly into the road from between parked cars - worse if it is a short person or from behind a tall parked vehicle.

I try to maintain a good separation when passing multiple parked vehicles, more than many advanced drivers. If I need to pass closely, for example when the on-coming insists on passing through the narrowed gap, I slow to almost a crawl.

Interestingly an experienced IAM member/observer scolded me for slowing down to that extent saying it wasn't necessary, but I countered that the level of lateral danger had just shot up dramatically and I was responding in a safe manner.

[Big Err]

Does anybody know the up-to-date equivalent? Does the government still publish statistics such as these, or are drivers held accountable in all official statistics?

Hi Gareth, from STATS 19 info in my own area (Fife - thats in Scotland Nigel ) I can provide the following amount of info relating to pedestrian collision factors whereby the one of the following contributed to the collision:
Crossed the road masked by stationary or parked vehicle
Failed to look properly
Failed to judge vehicle's path or speed
Wrong use of pedestrian crossing facility
Dangerous action in carriageway (eg playing)
Impairment by alcohol
Impairment by drugs (illicit or medicinal)
Careless/Reckless/in a hurry
Pedestrian wearing dark clothing at night
Disability or illness, mental or pyshical.

In 2005 the total number of collisions involving one or more of the above factors was: 1 Fatal, 26 Serious and 87 slight.
The total number of injury collisions in Fife over the same period was:
11 Fatal, 144 Serious and 547 Slight.

I hope this is of some interest to you.

Eric.