A total of 68'000 pedestrians have been run over in Spain over the past six years, 13'500 of whom were seriously injured and 3'300 killed. 40% of traffic accidents involving someone getting run over occur at traffic lights or on zebra crossings.
A new study published today by insurance giant, MAPFRE, shows that the under 14s and over 65s are the most likely to be run over.
The vast majority of accidents where people are knocked down happen in towns or cities, during the day, during school hours and between the months of April to June.
When someone is knocked down and seriously injured or killed, it is more likely to be at night.
The study showed that 60% of running over incidents are the result of the driver either going too fast or being distracted at the wheel, whilst the remaining 40% of accidents are due to pedestrians being careless, or crossing in dangerous places with poor visibility.
Every day, 20 children are injured as a result of being knocked down by a car, and every week four of those have serious injuries.
A child dies every fortnight after being run over. Strangely, almost three times as many boys are knocked down as girls, especially after the age of seven.
The most dangerous times of the day for children under 14 to cross the roads in Spain are between 2pm and 3pm and again between 5pm and 9pm in the evening.
Most running over incidents involving adults occur at night.
The Basque Country, the Canary Islands and Navarra recorded the lowest incidences of people being knocked down on the roads, whereas Cataluña, Madrid and Valencia are statistically the most dangerous .
Amongst other suggestions, the authors of the study have underlined the importance of making areas around schools much safer for pedestrians, by removing any objects that can impede visibility for both children and drivers, and of improving street lighting.
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