Road crash fatalities in India are increasing every year. Over 1.5 lakh people die every year on our roads. That is over 400 deaths every day!
However, the most vulnerable road user is not a two-wheeler or a car.
It is the Pedestrian. It is you, me, and everyone who uses the road for walking. Pedestrians are the most populous road users in India. There are over 100 pedestrians for every vehicle.
Yet, pedestrian safety is largely ignored in our country.
You might have experienced this yourself. Recall the last time you used the road. Was there a footpath to walk on? If there was a footpath, was it usable? Or, was the footpath blocked by shop encroachments, or was it simply damaged? How many times have you been forced to walk on the road due to a lack of infrastructure?
Crossing the road is no better. There is no proper pedestrian/zebra crossing. We have no option but to dodge some vehicles while crossing. Sometimes, even a pedestrian crossing does not help as most vehicles either don’t understand road marking or don’t respect it.
Pedestrian safety risks in India
The word “pedestrian” has two meanings in English:
- A person who uses the road for walking or
- Someone who is uninteresting and not worth the attention.
Sadly, in India, the second definition applies more. Pedestrians are third-grade citizens in India. Indian roads are never designed with priority for pedestrian safety. Usually, pedestrians are allotted a small area that remains after making the road. Most roads don’t even have space for pedestrians.
This exposes pedestrians to:
- The risk of walking along the road and getting impacted by a vehicle that is overtaking, speeding, or if the driver is distracted.
- The risk of crossing safely because vehicles in India do not stop or give way to pedestrians. Sometimes, pedestrians even have to jump over fences to cross as there is no crossing infrastructure available!
- Other risks unique to India. Such as having to walk or cross near heavy vehicles or standing on the road because a shop has taken up the pedestrian footpath.
Thankfully, there are some steps that we can take to keep ourselves safe.
Pedestrian safety tips
The most important tip for pedestrian safety is to be aware of our surroundings and to reduce contact with traffic as much as possible.
In addition, there are also some specific steps that we can take.
Pedestrian safety tips while walking along the traffic
As pedestrians, we spend the most amount of time walking along the road than crossing. We can walk safely by following these steps:
- Using the footpath wherever available. A footpath, no matter the condition, is much safer than exposing yourself to vehicles. Always try to have some barrier between you and the vehicles.
- If there is no footpath available, always walk while facing the traffic. The biggest risk while walking along the road is getting hit by a vehicle that is coming from behind. This risk will increase even further once we have more silent electric vehicles on the roads. Facing the traffic gives us a chance to quickly react to oncoming danger.
Pedestrian safety tips while crossing
Although we cross less frequently than walking along, crossing the road is statistically the most dangerous action a pedestrian takes. We can cross safely by:
- Looking both ways while crossing. Remember the “look right-then left-then right before crossing” principle taught in school? It still applies. But with a slight modification for Indian roads: “look both ways twice before crossing”. You never know what is coming at you.
- Do not cross in front of moving traffic! You may be a daredevil who loves to ghost in between moving vehicles. But remember that you are just playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette. Just because nothing has happened to you yet, does not mean nothing ever will happen. Wait for a safe gap to cross.
- Do not be distracted by looking around, using a mobile phone, talking, etc. while crossing. Always keep your attention on the traffic flow.
- At intersections, follow the pedestrian signal. Do not try to cross if the traffic has started moving.
- At intersections, cross using the pedestrian or zebra crossing. If not available, cross as close as possible to the intersection area. This reduces the risk of being hit by a turning vehicle (the “free-left turns” at Indian intersections are dangerous for pedestrians).
- Another important point for intersections: Do not cross too close to a heavy vehicle such as a truck or bus. The drivers of these vehicles cannot see you if you are crossing right next to the vehicle. This is by far the highest cause of pedestrian deaths at intersections.
- Use an overhead or underground crossing for highways. Sure, it might take you 10–15 seconds more. But that is always better than getting seriously hurt. Don’t even think of jumping over dividers for crossing.
- Try to take the shortest path while crossing the road. It reduces the time you are exposed to moving traffic. Do not cross an intersection diagonally as this increases your exposure to the vehicles.
Be visible
Lack of visibility is another common cause of pedestrian crashes. We can improve our visibility by:
- Do not suddenly enter the road while crossing. Stay visible for at least 5 seconds before crossing in front of moving traffic. Drivers will be able to see you, and you will be able to see the vehicles.
- As I mentioned earlier, always maintain a gap in front of a heavy vehicle while crossing. The driver should be aware of your presence. While moving along heavy vehicles, stay close to their rear wheels. Heavy vehicle drivers generally have a vision obstruction near their front wheels.
- At night, if there are no streetlights and you have to walk along or cross the road, always use the torch on your phone to alert vehicles coming by. You might be able to see the vehicles from far away due to their headlights. But, the vehicles won’t be able to see you if you do not use a light.
General tips for pedestrian safety
Apart from the specific scenarios I mentioned above, some general pedestrian safety tips apply to all pedestrians
- Be predictable. Vehicle drivers should be able to predict your actions. Have eye contact with the driver, if possible. Do not make sudden movements such as running or stopping while crossing.
- Walk assuming that all vehicles are planning to hit you. This is similar to Defensive Driving. Stay alert.
- Stop using your hands to stop vehicles. We do not have special powers that immediately stop vehicles. Always remember that even all vehicles need a stopping distance. Heavy vehicles require more distance. You may show your hand to stop the vehicle. But if the vehicle does not have sufficient distance to stop, it is going to hit you.
- Educate your children on safe pedestrian habits. Pedestrian safety should be a part of every child’s road safety education. Be a role model to your children.
We are all pedestrians
Once we start using vehicles, we tend to forget that all of us are pedestrians at some point in time. We are all exposed to pedestrian safety risks. As pedestrians we have two options:
- We demand a better pedestrian infrastructure from the authorities. This is the best way to ensure pedestrian safety. However, infrastructural change is something that can take years to implement.
- We can start taking steps that will keep us safe as pedestrians.
I believe that my safety is always in my hands and follow the steps mentioned in this article. I request you to also follow these steps. Please do not leave yourselves at the mercy of vehicles.
Originally published at https://www.roadsafetyguy.com on January 2, 2022.
