European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Confusing traffic patterns and too Many vehicles make crossing London streets dangerous even for the locals. Ass Gus Schuettler crowded streets City Drivers make by William e. Schmidt the new York times it is a familiar if somewhat chilling scene played out regularly at intersections across London a group of tourists approach a Busy Street glance to their left and then confidently step off the curb a and nearly into the path of a bus bearing Down on them from the right. With its right hand traffic flow London has always been Tough on foreign pedestrians who often can be observed at Street Corners wearing the slightly startled look of Deer edging alongside a freeway. It is for them mostly that London officials years ago began painting reminders along curbs suggesting that they Quot look left Quot or Quot look right Quot before venturing into the Street. Then last month beginning a new $2.1 million safety Campaign intended to reduce the toll of children killed or injured in pedestrian accidents in Britain the Princess of Wales and government officials made it Clear that foreigners were not the Only ones imperilled by London s congested anti sometimes disjointed traffic patterns. According to government statistics there Are few places anywhere in the world where the simple act of crossing it Street can be so fraught with danger a situation Otti vials blame on Urban Drivers who drive too last too Little care. While the Overall number of Fatali Tii s and serious injuries resulting from traffic accidents in Britain has let lined steeply Over the years As a result of safer cars and the mandatory use of seat belts pedestrians a and especially children who Are pedestrians a remain at an unusually High risk. Nearly one of every three traffic deaths in Britain involves a pedestrian run Over by a car. In trance the United slates and Italy where the rates of traffic casualties in general Are much higher Only about one in seven deaths involves a pedestrian. Since december 1990, according to the . Embassy in London the toll of pedestrian casualties in London a pedestrians Nightmare Britain has included five americans who were killed in separate accidents when they stepped off the curb into the path of oncoming vehicles. Moreover two thirds of All accidental deaths involving schoolchildren Are a result of traffic accidents mostly As pedestrians a record that Malcolm Rifkind Britain s transportation Secretary describes As while Rifkind noted that the average number of pedestrian deaths involving children had declined from 563 a year during the Early 1980s, to Only 41 7 during 1990, the per capita casualty Rale which May be explained in part by the decline in Overall numbers of children As the birth rate in Britain has dropped had remained about the same. The total number of people killed on the roads in Britain May fall below 5,000 this year the lowest it has been since 1949, Over the same period the number of cars on the roads has increased More than tenfold from 1.7 million to 24.2 million. Quot on a per capita basis we have one of the Best Overall Road safety records in the world Quot said Simon Jones a spokesman for the automobile association a club that represents More than 7.5 million British motorists Quot but we have one of the worst records in terms of pedestrian and children an analysis earlier this year by the policy studies Institute which examines social and economic trends concluded that fear of traffic had become so epidemic among parents in London that Many of them no longer allow their children to Cross the Road alone. According to the report a 1971 Survey revealed that 80 percent of 7 and 8-year-old children in Britain managed to get to school on their own. Last year the Institute went Back to the same schools and discovered that the figure had dropped to 9 percent a decline the analysts attributed mostly to fear of traffic Quot although the environmental harm done by cars is increasingly conceded there is a widespread reluctance to acknowledge the social damage they do concluded John Adams a professor at the University College in London. Quot As traffic increases other opportunities Are reduced. Children Are prevented from playing in the Street and elderly people fear to Cross to help reduce the toll of pedestrian deaths the government enacted new Laws this year to crack Down on careless and dangerous Drivers As Well As launching its new Public advertising Campaign around the slogan Quot kill your Speed. Not a safety experts say that if Drivers reduce their Speed 10 Miles an hour the chances of a child surviving a pedestrian Accident Are greatly increased. Part of the problem also involves the growing number of cars in older residential areas in London and other cities where there is Little off Street parking. Government analysts predict the congestion will Only get worse. Andrew Howard the head of Road safety for the automobile association said motorists tend to drive too fast in Urban areas along streets lined with parked cars where there is limited visibility. Quot we always Tell people not to Cross Between parked cars but often there is no other Choice Quot said Howard. In addition fewer police resources Are devoted to dealing with traffic violations and traffic rules involving pedestrians Are much More ambiguous in Britain than they Are in the states. With the exception of what Are called Quot Zebra Crossings Quot painted Black and White crosswalks with flashing yellow lights where Drivers by Law Are supposed to yield to pedestrians motorists show Little mercy for those on foot. One common complaint is that cars turning into an intersection will Seldom yield to pedestrians already in the Roadway even if they Are crossing with the Light. Quot the Highway code of conduct says that pedestrians have the right of Way Quot said Howard. But in practice he conceded it usually does t work that Way. Quot the sad fact is that pedestrians who insists on their rights while crossing a Street soon tend not to have anything left at All to argue about Quot he said. Stripes Magazine december 19, 1991 a
