Safety Crossing Road - Alerting Drivers And My Accident : Stories from Corsica, Vietnam, Singapore and more

Crossing Roads
In a group, when crossing the road, the leader of the group should take charge of seeing that everybody crosses safely.

If a group of schoolchildren get off a bus and step out from behind the bus into the path of oncoming cars, and that is done on a daily basis, eventually somebody will be talking or the cars will be to fast or too near and there will be an accident.

In the USA, after many accidents with children alighting school buses, buses were designed and traffic flow was designed so that you got on at the front, but got off at the back, so that you crossed the road behind the bus. You could not run in front of the bus as it moved off. You could not run out from the front of the bus in front of an overtaking car.

In some places the rule was introduced that you could not overtake a stationery bus, because of the risk of hitting passengers who got off and tried to cross the road.

French Corsica
Corsica is a French island. So, in theory, the language is French, great if you speak French or want to keep up your French. However, their idea of French is not the same as the French of Paris, nor Londoners speaking Parisian accent French, Montreal in Canada, or Switzerland, or Belgium.

In 1984, in Corsica, I was a freelance travel writer, sent by Brides magazine, the London, magazine. My job was to report on the destination and hotel as a honeymoon place.

Unfortunately, on the way back to the airport,  I was knocked down by a car. I had a head injury. I still have the scar.

Let me recall the details and explain to you what happened.

Our coach to the airport broke down. We were told to leave our belongings on the bus.

I stopped to get my camera.

I ran after the others.

A car passed me. I stopped and looked after it as it went downhill to my left. Another car came over the hill from my right and hit me.

Supervise Pedestrians Crossing Roads 

Only now, after more than thirty years has passed, does it occur to me that somebody should have ensured that the group crossed the road safety.

The human body is designed with eyes in the front of the head. When walking, we normally look forwards to the destination point or down to check we are not falling over an obstruction or pothole. We usually look left or right before crossing. But while you are crossing, a vehicle can come forwards at up to thirty miles or more and hit you.

Vehicles & Safe Speeds

I know the speed of the vehicle. It was doing between 30 and 40 miles an hours. At forty it would have killed me. At twenty it could have stopped in time. I had multiple injuries, to my leg, my collar bone, my head. I was bleeding from my ear 

I followed the group. Safety in numbers? No.

UK Lollipop ladies

Children used to be guarded by lollipop ladies, so called because they carried a large circular sign on a stick to alert distant drivers to slow down. Many lollipop ladies were unpaid volunteers. But funding was still needed to organize the timing of patrols and supply the signs for the Lollipop ladies to carry. Funding was withdrawn.

Umbrellas

The same visible from afar effect can be achieved with an umbrella. Or a parasol.

Singapore flag.

Singapore
The traffic lights are very effective, if you are prepared to wait. But that won't stop you being hit or nearly hit by traffic zooming up the right hand lane to turn right, or attempting to turn left into the place where you are crossing.

I wanted to know the status of pedestrians versus drivers in Singapore. It took only a moment of google searching to find the government website which says that pedestrians have priority.

Of course, having priority does not ensure safety. As the old saying goes, I believe quoting a UK gravestone,
He was right, dead right, as he sped along, but he's just as dead as if he were wrong. 

Vietnam flag.

Vietnam
Which countries seem safe and dangerous to pedestrians? The most scary place for crossing road, in 2019, was Vietnam. Scooters free for all. Apparently, one day, scooters will be banned. This will not be popular with the numerous scooter drivers.

What they need is more traffic control. Yes, they have rules, but nobody obeys them. In Hanoi, the roads are rivers of scooters.

Europe
Paris, France, and Italy, are notoriously scary for pedestrians.

Useful Websites
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/RTA

signaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.