Car hits pedestrian with rollator
Defective infrastructure
Sequence of events:
The driver of a car was driving through a 30 km/h zone in a built-up area in winter temperatures. He hit a 77-yearold pedestrian walking along the righthand edge of the road with a rollator, in the same direction as he was driving. The pedestrian was walking
The driver of a car was driving through a 30 km/h zone in a built-up area in winter temperatures. He hit a 77-yearold pedestrian walking along the righthand edge of the road with a rollator, in the same direction as he was driving. The pedestrian was walking
Persons involved in the accident:
Car driver and pedestrian with rollator
Car driver and pedestrian with rollator
Consequences/injuries:
The pedestrian was fatally injured.
The pedestrian was fatally injured.
Cause/problem:
At the time of the accident, parts of the sidewalk were covered in frost. The sidewalk was also in poor condition (the surface was damaged). As a result of this, the senior citizen in question clearly felt safer walking on the road. This also meant he didn’t have to navigate curbs with his rollator. Furthermore, there are clear indications that the car driver’s visibility was impaired due to his windows being fogged/iced up.
At the time of the accident, parts of the sidewalk were covered in frost. The sidewalk was also in poor condition (the surface was damaged). As a result of this, the senior citizen in question clearly felt safer walking on the road. This also meant he didn’t have to navigate curbs with his rollator. Furthermore, there are clear indications that the car driver’s visibility was impaired due to his windows being fogged/iced up.
Avoidance measures, mitigation of consequences/ strategy for road safety measures:
Better maintenance of the sidewalk infrastructure (repairs to the surface damage) and changes to the winter road maintenance program would have made the sidewalk safer for the senior citizen and enabled him to use it without putting himself at an increased risk of falling.
Better maintenance of the sidewalk infrastructure (repairs to the surface damage) and changes to the winter road maintenance program would have made the sidewalk safer for the senior citizen and enabled him to use it without putting himself at an increased risk of falling.
For the car driver, the accident would have been avoidable if his visibility had not been impaired by fogged up and iced up windows. An automated emergency braking system with pedestrian recognition could potentially have prevented the accident if the sensors had not been impaired by the iced-up windows.