Pedestrians make up the largest group of road users. Whether it’s walking to school or work, at some time or another everyone is a pedestrian. Show
Pedestrians can be some of society’s most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, which is why it’s important to build awareness around pedestrian safety. In 2020 alone, there were 138 pedestrians killed in road accidents, according to Road Safety. This is too many. Pedestrian responsibilitiesPedestrians are classified as those that are on foot, push a bicycle or travel on wheeled devices such as skateboards, wheelchairs and motorised mobility devices. Below we cover a few pedestrian responsibilities and rules that need to be followed to help to keep all road users are safe. What are the pedestrian crossing road rules?When crossing a road, a pedestrian must:
What are the rules at pedestrian crossings with lights?If the pedestrian lights show a red pedestrian light and the pedestrian has not already started crossing the intersection or road, the pedestrian must not start to cross until the pedestrian lights change to green. What are the rules for pedestrians on the road?When walking on the road, a pedestrian must not cause a traffic hazard or obstruction by:
A pedestrian must not travel along a road if there is a footpath or nature strip adjacent to the road, unless it is impracticable to travel on the footpath or nature strip. Do pedestrians have right of way in Australia?It’s not just pedestrians who need to adhere to crossing rules; there are rules for drivers as well. This includes a little-known rule that drivers must give way to pedestrians crossing the road into which their vehicles are turning. In other words, drivers must keep a proper look out and give way to pedestrians if there is a danger of collision, even when there is no marked pedestrian crossing. This law giving pedestrians rights applies whether or not there are traffic lights, stop signs or give way signs. If you have been injured as a pedestrian while crossing a road without looking, while distracted, or drunk, this doesn’t necessarily prevent you from receiving compensation for your injuries. We encourage you to still speak to one of our motor vehicle claim experts to determine your legal rights and potential entitlements. Distracted walking or “Zombie” walkersWith the arrival of smartphones, we have seen the rise of “zombie” walkers – pedestrians who are engrossed in their devices rather than what’s going on around them. Just like driving, pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings, especially when crossing the road. A pedestrian walking blindly into the path of oncoming cars can have devastating consequences. Our tip: Try to avoid looking at your phone while you’re walking, especially near roads. If you do need to look at it, make sure you stop and move out of the way of drivers and other pedestrians. Stay alert. Intoxicated pedestriansWe all know the dangers of driving after drinking alcohol, but walking home along a road whilst intoxicated can also be dangerous. Drinking can reduce your capacity for balance and dull your awareness of your surroundings – a dangerous combination when near traffic. Our tip: If you are going out and planning to drink alcohol, you should have a plan of how to get home safely. Either take a taxi or rideshare service or, if you’re determined to walk, make sure you have someone sober to accompany you. Injured on the road? Contact Shine LawyersIf you or a loved one have been involved in an accident caused by a car, motorcycle, bus, train or tram, our team of Pedestrian Compensation Claim Experts may be able to help. Sometimes it can be unclear whether the driver or pedestrian are at fault which is why it is important to seek legal advice about your circumstances and prospect of success in bringing a claim. Our experienced legal team have helped thousands of clients make compensation claims on a No Win No Fee basis*. Using our claim check tool below, you can determine whether you are eligible to claim, for free, either online or with the help of our team members. *Conditions Apply
Watch our road rules video on pedestrians or read a transcript. Drivers must give way to pedestrians crossing the road into which their vehicles are turning. You must also give way to pedestrians if there is a danger of colliding with them, even if there is no marked pedestrian crossing. As a vehicle’s speed increases, so does the risk of injury or death to pedestrians hit in a crash.
Safe speed zones allow drivers travelling at a speed limit to safely respond to potential risks in the road environment. A shared zone is a road or network of roads where pedestrians and other vehicles moving slowly can share the road safely. When driving in a shared zone, give way to all pedestrians and keep to the 10km/h speed limit. No stopping signs are placed next to pedestrian crossings, where pedestrians can have a clear view of approaching vehicles and drivers can see pedestrians who are about to cross the road. It is illegal and dangerous to stop in these areas. The 40 km/h high pedestrian activity areas (HPAA) are sections of road where there is heavy interaction between vehicles and pedestrians. They may be near shopping strips, railway stations, bus interchanges, popular beaches and services such as medical centres. The maximum speed limit is 40km/h at all times. Associated traffic calming measures help alert drivers to the lower speed limit and the presence of pedestrians moving about or near the road. The 40 km/h HPAA zones are part of a NSW government initiative to create a safer environment for all road users, particularly pedestrians. Local councils, in partnership with Roads and Maritime Services, design and implement these schemes in accordance with our guidelines for 40km/h zones.
A pedestrian is someone who is walking or running, or using a: When driving or riding in Queensland, you must:
You should also take care to:
Road Safety authorities often create awareness of the dangers of distractions to drivers and neglect to focus on the distractions facing pedestrians as well. We are now finding more and more accidents as a result of pedestrian inattentiveness. These are not merely resulting from pedestrians who weren't paying attention as they climbed up or down stairs, but also from motor vehicle crashes! Most such crashes occur when the pedestrian crosses the street and many seem to result from pedestrian inattentiveness. Thus, when pedestrians are using mobile phones, distracted attention may increase their risk of accidents. We find a lot of people text messaging, on the phone, looking down or listening to music on their i-pods. Many current road engineering technologies are focused on helping make pedestrians more aware of their surroundings. Having an understanding of how distractions affect pedestrian intersection interactions is important in evaluating such technologies. We will focus on these dangers to provide safety advice for our pedestrians. The Dilemma of Accidents involving inattentive pedestrians:It has been projected that there would be an approximate five-fold increase in the number of cellular phones worldwide between die years 2000 and 2011. The boom in the sales of personal mobile electronic devices (PMEDs) offers an additional source of potential distraction for pedestrians who multitask while walking to their destination. For pedestrians, most of the information at a crosswalk is obtained visually by watching traffic, seeing the markings and signage and observing the signs that indicate when it is safe to walk. Pedestrians who attempt to multitask while talking on a cell phone have a reduced cognitive capacity to devote to potentially dangerous activities such as crossing streets. The rise in the use of personal electronics may be the main ingredient in a recipe for disaster especially around schools, campuses etc Accident data confirming this dilemma is hard to find as the records usually only describe death or injury from "pedestrian distraction". Many accident victims also refuse to admit that they were distracted when they got into the accident. What we do have is research studies - A team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham reported that children who talk on cell phones while crossing streets are 43 per cent more likely to be hit by a car than when their phones are turned off. By making the choice not to engage in distractive activities while crossing the street, pedestrians can make intersections and crosswalks safer for themselves. Regardless of the safety technologies available at a given crosswalk, one clear way to reduce potential accidents due to inattention is to have both pedestrians and drivers choose not to engage in activities that may distract them. Distractions to pedestrians walking in traffic:An assumption by road engineers is that pedestrians will allocate appropriate attention to their surroundings, thus allowing these features to have a meaningful impact on their behaviour. A diverse set of circumstances and activities may, however, result in pedestrians not allocating appropriate attention to their surroundings. What are these distractions inhibiting situational awareness?
It is important to note that looking is not always seeing, and distraction caused by any of the above activities could result in pedestrians either failing to look or looking but failing to see. The looked-but-failed-to-see phenomenon is not new and is not limited to pedestrians.
International Research on Pedestrian Distractions:Several research studies have been undertaken to analyze pedestrian behaviour when distracted. Some of these studies involved the following methods:
What did the researchers find about distractions and pedestrians?
Researchers, enforcement officials and transportation engineers are presented with several options to meet the continuing challenge of improving the safety of distracted pedestrians. These include educating the public about the potential dangers of being distracted while walking; enacting regulations to change pedestrians' behaviour related to distracted walking; and/or implementing new engineering controls. Research conducted on the effects of mobile phone use while driving has found that educating drivers about the hazards is more easily achievable than changing their behaviour. Conclusions & Safety Advice:It is important to note that mobile phones offer convenience and safeguards to families, including use in emergencies - but they also may pose risk. We need to balance the positives with better knowledge on how cognitive distraction from mobile phone use reduces situation awareness, increases unsafe behaviour, putting pedestrians at greater risk for accidents, and crime victimization. Current crosswalk engineering countermeasures focus on speed control as well as maintaining a separation between pedestrians and vehicles. Examples of common infrastructure countermeasures include roundabouts, speed bumps, pedestrian refuge islands, multilane stop signs and in-pavement flashing lights. Examples of common pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow countermeasures include reduced speed limits, leading pedestrian intervals, exclusive pedestrian phases, adequate traffic signal timing and pedestrian prompting devices. These would, however, be of no value if our pedestrians are not attentive to these measures and the risks they are aimed at avoiding! Advice for our pedestrians in traffic includes:
Also View:Texting and Driver Distractions Avoiding distractions whilst driving Road safety and cellular technology Road safety near rail/level crossings Pedestrian safety Avoiding Pedestrians Pedestrian Safety Manual Running / Jogging and Road Safety Pedestrian Safety Advice Click to download the "Walking Safely Research Report" |