WHO publishes pedestrian safety manual

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a new pedestrian safety manual to coincide with UN Global Road Safety Week 2013.

The manual, ‘Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision makers and practitioners’, aims to contribute towards strengthening national and local capacity to implement pedestrian safety measures worldwide. The manual is designed for a multi-disciplinary audience including engineers, planners, police, public health and education professionals.

Each year, more than 270,000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads. Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths, and in some countries this proportion is as high as two thirds.

The report says that the key risks to pedestrians are well documented and include: driver behavior, particularly speeding and drink/driving; a lack of dedicated facilities for pedestrians such as sidewalks, raised crosswalks and medians; and solid vehicle fronts which are not forgiving to pedestrians should they be struck. It also states that poor trauma care services in many countries hinder efforts to provide the urgent treatment needed to save pedestrian lives.

As well as outlining the key risk factors for pedestrians, the manual shows how to assess pedestrian safety and prepare an action plan, and how to select, design, implement and evaluate an effective intervention. It also stresses the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes engineering, legislation and enforcement.

Click here for more information or to download the WHO manual.