With so many technologies promising safety, why are pedestrian fatalities climbing?

The key to saving lives is changing human behaviour, Lorraine Sommerfeld writes.

Mercedes-benz has developed a car hood that raises “50 millimetres instantaneously upon impact with a pedestrian.” The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says Subaru’s Eyesight “lowers the rate of pedestrian-related injuries by up to 35 per cent.” Even way back in 2010, Volvo’s camera and radar Pedestrian Detection boasted it could “automatically activate the car’s full braking power if the driver fails to respond in time.”

Virtually every manufacturer has sensing technology intended to protect those outside the car, rather than just its occupants. So why do pedestrian fatality numbers continue to rise?

Speed remains the No. 1 killer on our roads, or more correctly, the people who speed remain the No. 1 killers on our roads. Driver distraction is increasing to the same levels. Those pedestrian-sensing systems are predicated on the car going under a certain speed and the ability of a sensor or camera. Most aren’t ready for prime time.

An American Automobile Association study last year featured a sampling of the various technologies in four different brands: a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu, a 2019 Honda Accord, a 2019 Tesla Model 3, and a 2019 Toyota Camry. Extensive testing revealed the “evaluated pedestrian detection systems were ineffective during nighttime conditions, and the best function was under 32 km/h.”

“When encountering a child pedestrian at 20 mph, a collision was avoided 11 per cent of the time.” After a right turn, none managed to avoid the pedestrian.

“The pace of advancement in new vehicle technologies has also accelerated … which means there is a lot more for customers to learn,” says Robyn Robertson, president of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). She notes we buy cars differently now and spend far less time at a dealership learning how all the safety features work.

We need to redesign both our roads and our thinking.

Drivers and pedestrians are both distracted by their phones, but Canada’s fatalities are overwhelmingly represented by seniors. In Toronto, seniors (aged 65-plus) make up over 50 per cent of pedestrian fatalities, despite comprising just over 15 per cent of the population. If you include the over-55s, it jumps to 80 per cent. This ain’t the kids on their skateboards.

Statistical models are useful for breaking down information, but knowing you’re most likely to be hit by a car during rush hour between January and March if you’re a jaywalking senior who is also trick-or-treating does little to solve the problem.

We need better answers because what we’re doing isn’t working. At a time when road fatalities are tumbling for those inside their cars, the opposite is happening for those they share the road with.

TIRF tracks trends in driver’s attitudes. Among the most concerning is how competent we think we are using a phone in the car. In 2010, “67.7 per cent agreed they should be banned while only 42 per cent agreed so in 2019.” Worse still, in 2010, 4.8 per cent of Canadians reported texting while driving, but that has jumped to 9.7 per cent in 2019. Anecdotally, I think I’ve seen every one of them if it’s only that many.

We have the laws. The car manufacturers are racing to make their vehicles more pedestrian friendly. There are safety campaigns telling pedestrians and cyclists to be more cognizant of their surroundings.

It’s not the laws or campaigns or technology that need to change; it’s us.