Electric cars up to 3x likelier to hit pedestrians than ICE

[TheDeuce]

MrTrilby said:

I’m sure you don’t mean it, but that comes across as very motoristcentric, blaming pedestrians for stepping in front of cars.

You could equally argue that it’s extremely rare for pedestrians to give zero warning before stepping off a pavement. In an environment shared with pedestrians a competent driver ought to be looking for and anticipating these signals, and it’s every bit the drivers that fail to anticipate who deserve criticism for the installation of traffic calming. Rather than just “bloody pedestrians”.

It was a tongue in cheek example of how adding layers of safety can have the effect of making individuals less intrinsically safe. It doesn't matter if it relates to what the motorists or pedestrians could do better. You could apply it many aspects of life where safety is enforced, at the expense of making people less used to considering safety for themselves.

Yes, motorists could do better too. If no one ever drove too quickly in built up areas and never allowed their attention to wander, we probably wouldn't have traffic calming tat littering the highways. Although I would also argue that a road is motorist-centric as an entity, and a pedestrian fully focussed on crossing safely will manage to do so almost irrespective of the standard of driver on the road. It's a trick I carry out myself often when I'm working in countries where there is next to no thought given for safety on the roads at all.

Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 29th May 11:04

[MrTrilby]

TheDeuce said:

It was a tongue in cheek example of how adding layers of safety can have the effect of making individuals less intrinsically safe.

…. Although I would also argue that a road is motorist-centric as an entity,

Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 29th May 11:04

It’s certainly an idea that it makes people less safe, but it’s unsupported by the data. Pedestrian fatalities continue to fall - down 18% according to the most recent data (2022 compared with 2019).

Equally it’s a popular and flawed misconception that roads are motorist-centric. They’re intended for a much wider range of road users, as the Highway Code tries to remind us. Particularly in an urban environment.

[TheDeuce]

MrTrilby said:

TheDeuce said:

It was a tongue in cheek example of how adding layers of safety can have the effect of making individuals less intrinsically safe.

…. Although I would also argue that a road is motorist-centric as an entity,

Edited by TheDeuce on Wednesday 29th May 11:04

It’s certainly an idea that it makes people less safe, but it’s unsupported by the data. Pedestrian fatalities continue to fall - down 18% according to the most recent data (2022 compared with 2019).

Equally it’s a popular and flawed misconception that roads are motorist-centric. They’re intended for a much wider range of road users, as the Highway Code tries to remind us. Particularly in an urban environment.

That data only proves that speed bumps etc work, of course they work - they slow traffic down...

That does nothing to disprove the view that it's better to make people intrinsically safer thinking - which will keep them safer everywhere, regardless of whether there's a specific physical safety measure in place.

People are now very used to their safety being chiefly the concern and responsibility of others. That sounds ludicrous but I think it's true. The most common thought to safety for many people in a typical day is compliance with the rules of safety set by others, not their own personal observation of what is safest.