The elderly pedestrian

Not only elderly drivers but also elderly pedestrians are at a significant risk of accident, since cars get into all corners and intersections. Crosswalks are the points with the highest accidents rate in elderly people.

Mortality due to car running over is higher from 60 years of age

In addition, sometimes elderly people do not know the rules and are seen to be crossing the street at any place.

Imprudences, though made unconsciously, involve a danger as elderly people hardly assume their situation, and they usually think that their “experience” is enough to make up for any age defect or that as they are elderly people they have priority, for example, when crossing the street through an inadequate area.

Their reduced attention level leads them to a low respect for traffic signals and a limited perception of risk, distances, and proximity of a car.

Furthermore, as an elderly person is excluded or marginalized in many aspects of his life, the same happens with the driving environment and the safety as pedestrian.

Traffic is not designed for elderly people. The elderly person often finds an adverse, hostile environment.

He wants to cross a street and the elderly person has no agility and speed to avoid the cars, fears to fall or being pushed, and hardly remembers the traffic rules and the meaning of signals.

If he has pain in his bones, he walks slowly and gets tired walking, he shortens distances crossing by inadequate places hoping to be seen by the driver that may appear.

They frequently walk on the road to avoid cars parked and going up and down sidewalks, running the risk of being run over.

Advice to elderly pedestrians

• They should move in known places.
• Use a walking stick if they have difficulties for walking and be careful with the slippery paving.
• Respect the traffic signals and pay a lot of attention to crosswalks.
• When crossing crosswalks, they should do it through the area farthest from cars.
• When going to cross a street, they should do it immediately after the traffic light turns green for pedestrians, since they will have more time to do it, and they should never begin to cross if the light is already orange.
• It is advisable that, in crosswalks not regulated by traffic lights, they waits for other people to cross, to do it accompanied
• When going through paths, they should always walk front to cars, without walking on the street and with easily visible clothes.