Safety Board Responds to Ped Crash Crisis

Cars need better headlights. Cars need to be better designed. Cars need less space.These are some of the recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board after examining the 50-percent spike in pedestrian crashes since 2009.

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https://usa.streetsblog.org

 

Of course this increase has nothing to do with both pedestrians and drivers texting and living on their social media with their smart phones?

I don't get todays headlight obsession? Kids on the Subaru blogs and FB pages are always wanting brighter headlights. Compared to the headlights on the cars I grew up with my WRX and Fit are like airplane landing lights. They seem more than adequate?

 

I think this is a major contributor. Most people I see out on the road are also not helping themselves out by wearing dark clothes and not having reflectors.

Adequate yes, but can they be better, absolutely. Just upgrading to Ultra Stars made a great improvement.

Article on the subject that I read in C&D. 2018 Fit is in the test

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/model-t-to-modern-mercedes-testing-the-evolution-of-headlights-from-1916-to-2018

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/iihs-headlight-tests-find-many-cars-in-the-dark

 

I am surprised there has not been a spike in Darwin awards due to this exact problem. Or perhaps they would run out of trophies to hand out...

 

Cars now have massive "A" pillars that are placed more forward to the car compared to cars designed 10 years ago. This reduces visibility at intersections where you're more likely to hit a pedestrian.

Headlights? come-on! What about sealed beams that were used by the auto industry until the mid 80's?

 

Yes, let us blame pedestrians rather than the people DRIVING INTO THEM.

Yeesh.

 

I bought my grandfather two bumper stickers back in the '90's.

One said, "If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk" and the other said "So many pedestrians, so little time." Guess those wouldn't be considered politically correct today?

 

I don't buy it.
Generally speaking headlights are perfectly adequate for what they are suppose to do.

In my lifetime, what I have seen is a real change in spatial awareness and even public attitude.
When I was a kid, one of the FIRST things my parent tried to teach me was to be attentive to my environment and respect vehicles on the road. Always assume they don't see you, or can't see you.
Today?
People wander into cross walks or sometimes just the street, oblivious to approaching cars. Yes they sometimes are distracted by whatever device they have held in their hands that they are using.
But the attitude is not what I was taught. Today, the common pedestrian relies too much IMO on the idea that the motorist will be looking out for them. That the mere painted lines of a crosswalk will automatically protect them.
It doesn't surprise me at all that there is an increase in pedestrian injury and death, but I'm not blaming it so much on the vehicles, many of the modern ones have fantastic collision avoidance systems and great safety features.
I'm blaming it on a hand held device generation, that walks too often in the public like an extra on "The Walking Dead".

 

I agree with all of this. So many are like walking zombies that aren't paying the least bit of attention to their surroundings.

To be fair, I find myself doing this on occasion and have to snap myself out of it. It's easy to stare at your phone and think it's the real world.

 

Welp. So many welps. Pedestrians should always have the right of way, cars are a scourge.

 

It's both. People driving while distracted and people walking while burying their face in their phones.

Both are oblivious.

 

That's flatly hilarious that you think a person walking in the road should have the right of way.

Are you totally unaware of the principle of boundaries. There are places for everything. The middle of the lane on an Interstate is NOT the place for a person to walk.

 

This even applies to different classes of pedestrians. Don't try crawling on a jogging track. Don't drive a car through a park. Don't fly an airplane into a building.

There are reasons for such things as sidewalks, roads, trails, etc. They each should be used appropriately.

 

Did you forget the sarcasm tag? If sincere, this statement is filled with willful ignorance.

 

I would say it's a form of trying to dumb things down to the level of the lowest item.

Just to be safe, I'd say the pedestrians better slow down. They might step on the slower moving ant.

Perfect way to bring society to a halt. Bring everything down to the lowest level possible.

Edit...I suppose it's education that started this. Teach at the level of the lowest student. Look at where that's getting us.

 

The declaration of a spike in pedestrian crashes since 2009 from the National Transportation Safety Board should be enough to alarm EVERYONE. Regardless of who is to blame. I basically come from the ped/bicyclist part of this equation. Yes I'm driving now, but I haven't exactly given up my two wheels. I was car-free for almost 10 years. I feel sorry for kids out there today and wanting to ride their bikes. The streets are not safe. Yes they weren't safe when I was their age, but there wasn't cellphones at that time either. I see, while driving, so many drivers on their cellphones while driving. Everyone is trying to multitask and just about everyone thinks they're capable of doing this!

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Yeah there are people that walk zombie-like out on to the cross walk, but they aren't in control of 2 tons of metal, are they?

The study mentions that it looks like the shape of the car has some parameter on this increase. The shape, size and elevation of the front has some percussion. Currently SUVs are making a comeback on the streets, and all of this is bad news for others on the streets. Add in that there's all kinds of distractions for the drivers and you got a bad accident waiting to happen!

BTW, I always pulled off the side of the road if I had a call on my bike. For one, it was not that big of a deal doing this. For another, it would be an important call that needs attention. All others could wait.

 

50 percent spike in crashes. Doesn't say 50% more deaths. So, while the vehicle type may play a roll in the outcome, that doesn't explain the increase in the number of incidents.

I agree with fitchet and sneefy. It's due to both distracted drivers and distracted pedestrians.

Traffic laws haven't changed much. Sidewalks haven't changed much. What has changed is the general amount of attention the average person is paying to their surroundings. This is true whether they are the one in the car or the one outside of the car.

 

No they are not but that does not give them a pass to not do their part in being safe. It takes cooperation from both sides to take control of their own actions and how they impact others.

 

I'm not advocating that someone should walk like a zombie getting through a crosswalk, or that it's OK. I'm just saying that it's not as dangerous to you or me as some zombie driving a two ton car and doing the same thing.