PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS
The subject of pedestrian safety is particularly important in Poland, where the risk of mortality is very high compared to other European Union (EU) countries. In Poland, 60% of all killed pedestrians lost their lives at night, mostly away from urban areas. The current article focuses on pedestri...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Silesian University of Technology
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Transport Problems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://transportproblems.polsl.pl/pl/Archiwum/2022/zeszyt1/2022t17z1_11.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818007774965006336 |
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| author | Katarzyna SICIŃSKA Anna ZIELIŃSKA |
| author_facet | Katarzyna SICIŃSKA Anna ZIELIŃSKA |
| author_sort | Katarzyna SICIŃSKA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The subject of pedestrian safety is particularly important in Poland, where
the risk of mortality is very high compared to other European Union (EU) countries. In
Poland, 60% of all killed pedestrians lost their lives at night, mostly away from urban
areas. The current article focuses on pedestrians’ compliance with the law requirements
of the mandatory use of reflective elements at night in non-urban areas since its
introduction in Poland in 2014 based on a data analysis and survey on pedestrians’
attitudes and behaviours. An analysis of pedestrian accidents, fatalities, and serious
injuries at night five years before and five years after 2014 showed an improvement in
pedestrian safety more in non-urban areas (where the law on reflective elements is
obligatory) than in urban areas. This study is the first published work to present
comprehensive results from an in-depth national survey about people’s attitudes and
behaviours regarding the use of reflective elements. The data were obtained from 600
observed and 400 questioned pedestrians in 2018. Observations from 2018 showed that
only 21% of pedestrians respected the obligation to wear reflective elements at night
outside urban, even though 46% of respondents declared in questionnaires that they wore
such elements. Pedestrians who used reflective devices in non-urban areas at night were
mainly young people aged 40 years old or younger. They used reflective clothing (shoes,
trousers, backpacks); 79% of observed pedestrians did not wear reflective elements at
night according to questionnaires from 2018. More pedestrians (60%) who didn’t use any
reflective wore black clothing, which made them not visible to drivers and put them at
risk of being killed. A comparison of the data showed a positive change in pedestrians’
attitudes due to this obligation. In 2015 only 35% of respondents knew that the use of
reflective elements was obligatory in some situations; in 2018, almost half of them (46%)
did. The analysis carried out in the present study indicated that the preventive action of
introducing the mandatory use of reflective elements at night by pedestrians outside
urban areas has slowly improved the safety of pedestrians and decreased the numbers of
accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities. Changes introduced into Polish traffic rules have
improved pedestrians’ safety on roads since 2014; however, there is still an immense
need to carry on social actions and campaigns promoting the use of reflective elements to
educate road users to change pedestrians’ behaviours. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:20:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-165354ee8ce248afa3379421c5acb901 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1896-0596 2300-861X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:20:07Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Silesian University of Technology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transport Problems |
| spelling | doaj.art-165354ee8ce248afa3379421c5acb9012022-12-22T02:10:13ZengSilesian University of TechnologyTransport Problems1896-05962300-861X2022-03-0117112713910.20858/tp.2022.17.1.11PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALSKatarzyna SICIŃSKA0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4113-5588Anna ZIELIŃSKA1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4078-7640Motor Transport InstituteMotor Transport InstituteThe subject of pedestrian safety is particularly important in Poland, where the risk of mortality is very high compared to other European Union (EU) countries. In Poland, 60% of all killed pedestrians lost their lives at night, mostly away from urban areas. The current article focuses on pedestrians’ compliance with the law requirements of the mandatory use of reflective elements at night in non-urban areas since its introduction in Poland in 2014 based on a data analysis and survey on pedestrians’ attitudes and behaviours. An analysis of pedestrian accidents, fatalities, and serious injuries at night five years before and five years after 2014 showed an improvement in pedestrian safety more in non-urban areas (where the law on reflective elements is obligatory) than in urban areas. This study is the first published work to present comprehensive results from an in-depth national survey about people’s attitudes and behaviours regarding the use of reflective elements. The data were obtained from 600 observed and 400 questioned pedestrians in 2018. Observations from 2018 showed that only 21% of pedestrians respected the obligation to wear reflective elements at night outside urban, even though 46% of respondents declared in questionnaires that they wore such elements. Pedestrians who used reflective devices in non-urban areas at night were mainly young people aged 40 years old or younger. They used reflective clothing (shoes, trousers, backpacks); 79% of observed pedestrians did not wear reflective elements at night according to questionnaires from 2018. More pedestrians (60%) who didn’t use any reflective wore black clothing, which made them not visible to drivers and put them at risk of being killed. A comparison of the data showed a positive change in pedestrians’ attitudes due to this obligation. In 2015 only 35% of respondents knew that the use of reflective elements was obligatory in some situations; in 2018, almost half of them (46%) did. The analysis carried out in the present study indicated that the preventive action of introducing the mandatory use of reflective elements at night by pedestrians outside urban areas has slowly improved the safety of pedestrians and decreased the numbers of accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities. Changes introduced into Polish traffic rules have improved pedestrians’ safety on roads since 2014; however, there is still an immense need to carry on social actions and campaigns promoting the use of reflective elements to educate road users to change pedestrians’ behaviours.http://transportproblems.polsl.pl/pl/Archiwum/2022/zeszyt1/2022t17z1_11.pdfroad safetypedestrianobservation of road users’ behaviourreflective elements |
| spellingShingle | Katarzyna SICIŃSKA Anna ZIELIŃSKA PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS Transport Problems road safety pedestrian observation of road users’ behaviour reflective elements |
| title | PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS |
| title_full | PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS |
| title_fullStr | PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS |
| title_full_unstemmed | PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS |
| title_short | PEDESTRIANS’ SAFETY IN POLAND AND USE OF REFLECTIVE MATERIALS |
| title_sort | pedestrians safety in poland and use of reflective materials |
| topic | road safety pedestrian observation of road users’ behaviour reflective elements |
| url | http://transportproblems.polsl.pl/pl/Archiwum/2022/zeszyt1/2022t17z1_11.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katarzynasicinska pedestrianssafetyinpolandanduseofreflectivematerials AT annazielinska pedestrianssafetyinpolandanduseofreflectivematerials |