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ROAD SAFETY

Swiss pedestrian safety takes turn for worse

Although Swiss streets are regarded as among the safest in the world, a pedestrian dies on average every week from motor vehicle accidents, while two are seriously injured every day, the Swiss accident prevention bureau (BFU) says.

Swiss pedestrian safety takes turn for worse
Drivers largely responsible for upturn in pedestrian accidents: report. Photo: BFU

In statistics published on Tuesday, the bureau said 69 pedestrians were killed on Swiss roads last year.

A total of 723 pedestrians were seriously injured in such accidents, marking a return to levels not seen in more than a decade, the figures showed.

After ten years of sharp variations, the number of seriously injured pedestrians jumped to the highest level since 2003, the BFU said.

The elderly were the hardest hit group, with 70 percent of victims over the age of 65.

Seniors were eight times more numerous than those under the age of 18 in succumbing to serious accidents on foot.

More than three-quarters of accidents leading to death or serious injury occurred in protected pedestrian crossings, the bureau said.

The chances of survival were strongly linked to the speed of motor vehicles involved in collisions, it said.

In nine out of ten cases, the drivers of vehicles were responsible for serious accidents suffered by people walking on streets.
 

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