Pedestrian accidents rise in Tallinn and Harju County
Since September 69 pedestrians have been injured in traffic accidents with a third of these being children, now police are urging people to be careful, to wear bright clothing and reflectors.
Since September, 199 people have been injured in traffic accidents in Tallinn and Harju County. Of these, 69 were pedestrians, almost a third of whom were children aged between 6 and 17.
On December 9 and 10 three children were injured by traffic. Preliminary information shows one child crossed the road during a red light and another ran into the road at a crossing.
Head of the Northern Prefecture's Traffic Monitoring Center Hannes Kullamäe said traffic accidents involving pedestrians are more common in autumn and winter when it is dark and snowy. Most pedestrian accidents are caused by urban traffic and in the morning or evening when it is dark.
"Pedestrians need to be careful and make sure they are noticed and the vehicle stops before crossing the road. It is also important to make yourself visible by using a reflector or bright clothing in order to stand out to drivers," Kullamäe said.
Speaking about children involved in road accidents Kullamäe said: "Talk to your child and remind them of the basics of safe driving. Pedestrians are always the weaker side of traffic and need to be so cautious. Before walking on to the pedestrian crossing make sure that the driver has stopped. Be sure not to rush into traffic. Because accidents increase in the dark season, we plan our work so that patrols are more visible in urban traffic. By doing so, we help calm traffic, but every road user has a duty to keep himself and others safe."
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Editor: Helen Wright