“World Days” generally refer to an event from the past that we recall to celebrate. But the truth is that these days do not always represent something to be celebrated, but instead occasions of awareness.

2022th August 17 is Pedestrian World Day, and it is not exactly a day to celebrate. It is a day that has its origin in memory of the first recorded pedestrian victim: Bridget Driscoll was run over on August 17, 1897 in London, dying on the spot. We don’t usually start our articles on Road Safety with this crudeness. But that is the reality. Since that day, the list of registered deaths by car accidents has unfortunately continued to increase.

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The objective of Pedestrian World Day is to join efforts to guarantee a much safer traffic for pedestrians, promoting adequate spaces to move around in cities, and remembering the obligations that both drivers and pedestrians have.

In the Spanish DGT report for 2019, the number of deaths on the roads was 1,755 people, of which a large part, specifically 53%, were considered vulnerable, that is, pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. BUT…

What to do to be a good pedestrian?

• They may seem obvious, but believe us, it never hurts to remember these tips.
• Always cross at the pedestrian crossing.
• Respect traffic lights.
• Always look both ways before crossing, even if the road you are going to cross is one-way.
• Reduce the use of technology on the go. It is advisable to avoid using the mobile phone as it is undoubtedly a great distraction, not only when we are driving but also when we are walking around the city. In addition, the use of headphones is not recommended since the ideal is to have all our senses on the road.

If we look at it, most cities are designed under an urbanization model that generalizes the mobility of private vehicles, and this situation began to occur approximately from the first half of the 20th century.

This fact gave rise to the ‘Car Cities’, cities in which the infrastructures at the service of the circulation of vehicles occupy most of the urban centers, so the chances of suffering accidents while traveling are considerably increased.

However, more and more cities are choosing to reorganize their urban designs and convert urban centers into more pedestrian spaces, and therefore safer in order to ensure Urban Road Safety.