Pedestrians, together with cyclists, are the most vulnerable actors in traffic. As their body functions as a “shield” from blows, they are the most affected in the face of a possible road accident. The traffic law grants pedestrians the right of priority, thus recognizing their vulnerability and seeking to make drivers aware of it. And, in addition, it expresses which are the places where they should circulate. But how do pedestrians behave on public roads? Is the regulation that regulates its circulation known?
To find out the opinion and inquire about the behavior of pedestrians and road regulations, the Observatory of CECAITRA, the Chamber of companies that produce road software, carried out a telephone survey in homes in the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires.
In the first place, the question was asked: “In your opinion, do we Argentines behave correctly on the street?”, and 8 out of 10 (84.5%) said that we behave incorrectly; 9.5% considered that pedestrians behave correctly; and 6% did not have an opinion about it.
Taking age into account, 90.4% of adults aged 30 to 49 said that pedestrians share each other incorrectly, but the percentage dropped to 71.2% when respondents were under 29 years of age.
Next, they inquired about the behavior of those consulted, and asked: “How would you rate your own behavior as a pedestrian in relation to respect for the rules and road care?” There, 64.4% said they were very respectful and careful as a pedestrian; 33.7% said that they are only sometimes respectful and careful; and only 1.2% expressed that they are never respectful or careful. The rest did not choose any option.
“It is very common to think of others in one way and when you ask about your own behavior, the opinion changes. What the survey does show is that the majority considers that pedestrians are disrespectful and that they behave incorrectly. It is very important that you take to the streets with respect and responsibility, either as a pedestrian or as a driver,” said Facundo Jaime, spokesman for the CECAITRA Road Observatory.
Finally, we wanted to know the degree of knowledge that exists on the regulations on the subject and asked: “Do you consider that the traffic law stipulates where pedestrians must travel?”, and only half (52.7%) accurately answered that the law specifically stipulates it; 36% said that they do not specifically stipulate it; and 11.3% do not know.
“The data obtained confirms that only half of Argentines know the road regulations that contain the rights and obligations of pedestrians. Likewise, the percentage of people who are unaware of the law obliges us to continue working on driver education to achieve a safer and more orderly traffic”, concluded Jaime.
what the law says
The national road regulations establish in its article 38 that pedestrians will transit, in urban areas, only on the sidewalk or other spaces enabled for that purpose; at intersections, along the pedestrian path; and exceptionally on the road, surrounding the vehicle, the occupants of the rear seat, only for getting on and off the vehicle. The rule also establishes that in rural areas pedestrians must travel along paths or places as far away as possible from the road; and when they do not exist, they will travel along the shoulder in the opposite direction to the traffic in the adjacent lane. During the night they will wear bracelets or other retroreflective elements to facilitate their detection. Crossing the road will be perpendicular to it, respecting the priority of vehicles. Lastly, in urban and rural areas, if there are crossroads at different levels with pedestrian paths, their use is mandatory to cross the road.
Also, in its article 41 the priorities of the drivers are expressed and it is stated that “every driver must always give way at crossroads to the one who crosses from his right” and explains that “this priority of the one who comes from the right is absolute, and it is only lost before” different situations such as “pedestrians who legally cross the road by the pedestrian path or in a dangerous area marked as such; the driver must stop the vehicle if he endangers the pedestrian”.