Nick Finnigan wrote:

"Jim Higgons" wrote:

"Martin Underwood" wrote:

None of this alters the fact that almost all accidents involving
pedestrians (except on zebra/pelican crossings) are technically the
pedestrian's fault because he is crossing the road in front of a
moving vehicle without regard for whether that vehicle will be able
to stop in time.

A sizeable proportion of pedestrian/car accidents occur on pavements.
Somebody (it may have been Nick) quoted the figures recently.

9% of pedestrian accidents are on the footway/verge,
8% of serious injuries, 6% of fatalities.
I'd guess the speeds in those cases are similar to cyclists.

And I'll bet that a "sizeable proportion of pedestrian/car accidents [which]
occur on pavements" occur either whilst the car is crossing the footway at a
legitimate crossing place (like a driveway entrance), or whilst the car is
stationary (and possibly unoccupied), including whilst parked on a
designated "wide footway" parking strip.

The idea of drivers - any drivers, even London bus-drivers - driving onto or
along footways and mowing down pedestrians (other than as an immediate
out-of-control result of a collision on the carriageway) is a fantasy.


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