When Driving in Urban Areas Understanding Pedestrian Behaviour Can Help Drivers Avoid Hazards

Understanding pedestrian behaviour can help you avoid potentially deadly hazards and keep everyone on the road safe. What should you look out for while driving? How should you handle those situations when they arise?

Why You Must Pay Attention to Pedestrians While Driving

Since pedestrian deaths are increasing, being aware of your surroundings while driving is more important than ever. 

According to the annual road trauma summary from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, vehicles killed 164 pedestrians in 2022, up from 133 in 2021 — a 23.3% year-over-year increase.

Individuals engaging in high-risk behaviours near or on roadways create road hazards. Unless you are acutely aware of your surroundings and prepared to react immediately, you put others’ lives at risk. 

Even then, incidents can still happen. For example, heavy fog or a lack of street lights may make it difficult to see people who are dressed in dark clothing. Alternatively, someone riding on a skateboard or out for a run may enter the roadway without warning. In these scenarios, driving to the conditions is essential.

Fortunately, fatal incidents are less likely if you pay attention to the road, other vehicles and crossings.

Pedestrian Behaviours You Should Look for While Driving

You should look out for jaywalking, headphones and distracted walking — anything that may reduce pedestrians’ situational awareness. Understanding what these behaviours look like can help prevent road fatalities.

Such behaviours are common because they seem harmless. For instance, one of the country’s most prestigious universities found that one in five Australians use their phones while crossing the street — a habit that can increase the likelihood of an incident.  

Be on the lookout for behaviours like:

• Distracted walking. People who text, search through their purses or talk with a friend while crossing the street are less aware of their surroundings.
• Walking with oncoming traffic. If people walk with traffic instead of against it when sidewalks aren’t available, they won’t see your vehicle approaching them.
• Ignoring pedestrian crossings. Pedestrians may not use pedestrian crossings, which can take you by surprise if you aren’t paying close attention to the road.
• Ignoring traffic signals. Even those who use a designated pedestrian crossing can put both of you at risk if they cross when a red “don’t walk” figure is displayed.
• Children playing. Children at play may suddenly run into the road because they don’t yet fully grasp the dangers of doing so.
• Wearing headphones. With the advent of noise cancelling headphones, many pedestrians now simply don’t hear their surroundings, they can be oblivious to traffic and inadvertently place themselves in danger.

You are responsible for paying attention to the people and cars you share the road with. Being aware of pedestrians’ behaviours and practising defensive driving helps you keep the road safe. You can only react accordingly if you know what to look out for.

How to Avoid Incidents Brought on by These Behaviours

To avoid a car incident in urban areas, you should know how to react — whether or not you notice individuals engaging in high-risk behaviours. Follow these best practices:

1. Always keep extra space between you and the car in front of you, especially in areas like construction zones where they may make frequent stops. For reference, rear-end crashes are the most common crash type in construction zones. If the person in front of you brakes abruptly to avoid hitting a pedestrian, you could push them into a crossing if you follow too closely. Alternatively, you could injure the people doing road work. Obey the safe following distance for your car’s size and type so you have time to brake.
2. When approaching crossings, slow down even if you don’t immediately notice people nearby.
3. Be cautious around vehicles slowing or stopping since they are likely letting someone cross or looking for a parking spot and may make erratic movements. Be especially careful at children’s crossings — which usually only operate during school hours at preapproved locations — because kids may be more challenging to see since they are smaller and their behaviour unpredictable.
4. Before you even leave, check the driving conditions. The time of day, weather and visibility can affect how many people are out and how likely you are to see them crossing the street. Be mindful and drive to the conditions.
5. As part of your daily routine, check your car’s brakes, mirrors and tire tread wear to ensure you can react quickly in unexpected situations.

Above all else, follow the golden rule of driving — eliminate distractions like eating, drinking and texting. Even if you mostly keep your eyes on the road, every second counts in life-or-death situations.

How Fleet Drivers Can Keep the Road Safe for Pedestrians

If you drive professionally, road safety is even more important.

When you choose your routes try to avoid areas with high pedestrian activity, leverage preventive brake maintenance, or require a driver safety scorecard. Safety is in your hands once you set out.

Have you ever driven while tired? Research shows that 69% of people are tired at work, many of whom work safety-critical jobs like transportation. Drowsy driving may seem okay because it is normalised, but it is almost as dangerous as drunk driving.

According to the New South Wales government, being awake for 17 hours straight has the same effect on driving performance as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05. Rest areas are available around the clock — use them if you feel fatigued.

Getting tired behind the wheel is not the domain of just long drives but driving all day in the city too. Pull over if you can’t keep your eyes open. If it’s been a long day, a simple power nap can be a life saver for you and other road users. Staying on schedule isn’t worth risking lives.

Speeding is another high-risk habit that is particularly hazardous but remains troublingly common. Going just a little bit over the speed limit can be a huge difference between stopping in time and striking a third party.

If visibility is low or people are distracted while walking, your chance of hitting them increases significantly — as does the incident’s lethality. At 93 kilometres per hour (km/h), car incidents carry a 90% risk of death for pedestrians. At 37 km/h, that risk lowers to just 10%.

Do Your Part to Keep Australia’s Pedestrians Safe

While pedestrians’ behaviours can increase the likelihood of a car incidents, you can help prevent them from occurring. Following best practices and paying attention to your surroundings are essential.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, we all have a role to play to keep other users safe when they make mistakes.

What are some of your practices to keep pedestrians safe?