36% of pedestrians never or only sometimes wear a high-vis vest despite high number of pedestrian fatalities on our roads
26% of motorists say pedestrians themselves are primary cause of pedestrian fatalities
Monday 28 October 2024, Dublin: Some 36% of pedestrians say they never or only sometimes wear a high-visibility vest when walking or running near or along Irish roads, even if there’s poor visibility due to weather or darkness. That figure rises to one in three (34%) for Ireland’s youngest adults[1] and 33% for those living in Dublin. This is despite the significant number of pedestrian fatalities on our roads every year.
This is according to the findings of a new survey[2] by Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC (Aviva) which examined pedestrian habits on Irish roads and people’s views on the likely causes of these fatalities.
The research findings follow a new report from the Road Safety Authority (RSA)[3] which found that pedestrians accounted for about one in five of all road fatalities[4] and serious injuries[5] between 2019 and 2023. Sadly, this trend is continuing in 2024 as already, one in five of the road fatalities reported so far this year have been pedestrians[6]. The RSA report also found that on average, 33 pedestrians are killed and 285 are seriously injured on Irish roads each year. Notably, for every pedestrian fatality, there were approximately nine serious injuries and children aged 15 or less represented the greatest share of those pedestrians that were seriously injured (21%).
Headline findings from the Aviva pedestrian safety survey make for worrying reading, particularly as the clocks have now gone back and we head into the darker winter months:
- Overall, only 29% of pedestrians say they wear a high-vis vest “at all times when visibility could be poor” with others who wear these vests either only doing so when it is dark (19%) or “sometimes” (18%).
- Some 38% of motorists surveyed believe the primary cause of pedestrian fatalities is due to factors caused by pedestrians themselves as they are not taking enough precautions to ensure they are visible are distracted by headphones and cannot hear cars approaching.
- Almost one in ten (9%) of those surveyed cited the increase in the number of people exercising on unlit roads as the main cause of pedestrian fatalities, particularly in winter.
- Almost half (47%) of those surveyed lay the blame for pedestrian fatalities on drivers. The main reasons being that they are increasingly distracted by mobile phones and technology in their cars (20% of those surveyed expressed this view), or because they are driving carelessly (14%) or speeding (13%).
“It can be difficult for a driver to spot a pedestrian on a dark unlit road if the pedestrian is not wearing a high-vis vest, and more particularly in wintry weather conditions. Unfortunately, the consequences of this poor visibility could be fatal for both the pedestrian and the motorist. Statistics show that weekends and early morning hours are particularly high-risk times for road incidents. “High-vis vests are vital if we want to improve the safety of pedestrians on our roads. It is a concern that 18% of pedestrians don’t ever wear one when walking or running outdoors, with the numbers not doing so significantly higher in Dublin and amongst the 18-24 age group, and that a further 18% only do so sometimes. The RSA recommends that pedestrians always wear bright, high-visibility clothing when walking beside or along the road during the day - and to wear reflective clothing when walking at night.
Commenting on the survey findings, Julie Frazer, Aviva said:
“However, motorists clearly also have a key role to play here. Some 20% of those surveyed say the main reason for pedestrian fatalities is that drivers are increasingly distracted by mobile phones and other technology in their cars. This tallies with recent research from the RSA[7] which found that there has been an increase in the incidences of handheld use of mobile devices by drivers. This is simply not acceptable as doing so while driving can have devastating consequences for all road users and drivers simply need to put their mobiles away while driving.
“As vulnerable road users, it is imperative that the message about the importance of wearing high-vis vests gets out to pedestrians. The wearing of a high-vis vest is a very simple and effective road safety precaution – but the research suggests that it is not “the norm”. Much more work needs to be done to make this as commonplace as wearing a raincoat in the rain, concluded Julie Frazer.