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Go to: bit.ly/distractedpedestrian
North Sydney Council together with Hornsby, Lane Cove, Mosman, Northern Beaches, Ryde and Willoughby Councils, and in conjunction with the Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) has re-launched their pedestrian campaign Distracted…?
BACKGROUND
The Distracted…? campaign aims to reduce pedestrian crashes and challenge pedestrians to take responsibility for their own safety when crossing the road urging them to zone in before stepping off the kerb.
The Distracted…? campaign rolls out across the several Northern Sydney Councils and will remind pedestrians to stop and be completely aware of all potential dangers before walking onto the road.
In today’s technology-driven world it’s easy to zone out with so many portable and hand held gadgets stealing people’s attention away from the real world. This can be particularly dangerous for pedestrians who aren’t paying attention to what’s happening on the road.
Pedestrians become more vulnerable when stepping out from the kerb if their head space is occupied with their music and mobile phones because it limits their hearing and reduces their concentration.
North Sydney has over 66,000 workers commuting here each day and creating a large workforce and a lot of pedestrian activity in our CBD and shopping districts.
In 2015 in North Sydney:
- There were 220 crashes.
- Pedestrians were the second highest road user group for casualties at 16.5%, which was more than double Sydney’s casualties at 7.9% and almost three times that for NSW at 6.1%.
- There were pedestrian casualties across all age groups with the 30-39-year-old age category having the highest number of casualties at 5 (3 male and 2 female), followed by 21-25, 26-29 and 50-59 year olds with 4 casualties each.
- The number of casualties for the 0-16, 40-49 and 70+ year olds was also high with 3 casualties each.
- On average, females are overrepresented with 16 of the 28 casualties being female.
Many pedestrian casualties could be avoided if people were more alert when crossing the road.
When a vehicle hits a person it is a very uneven contest, with the pedestrian often sustaining serious injuries. The vehicle and the driver often sustain only minor injury/damage.
The Distracted…? pedestrian campaign includes print advertising, face-to-face promotions and various types of outdoor and internal advertising to engage pedestrians.
CONTACT PERSON
For more information contact Council’s Road Safety Officer on 9936 8246.
Safety Tips for Pedestrians
- Avoid using mobile phones or music players
- Cross at marked crossings or traffic lights
- If you have to walk or run on the road, do so in the direction of oncoming traffic so you are more visible
- At traffic lights cross only when the pedestrian signal is green. Do not start to cross when the red light flashes
- Before you cross a road, think about whether a driver can see you
- Never assume a vehicle will stop for you
- Avoid crossing between parked cars or in front of buses
- Children eight years and under should hold an adult's hand at all times
- Children ten years and under should hold an adult's hand when crossing the road
- Wear bright or light coloured clothing at night or in reduced visibility conditions
Safety tips for drivers
- You must give way to pedestrians crossing the road if you are in danger of colliding with them, even if there is no marked pedestrian crossing
- Slow down on roads where there are likely to be pedestrians
- Never assume a pedestrian has seen you and will wait for you to go past
- Older pedestrians may need longer to cross
- Children are difficult to see and may act unpredictably