Motorists and pedestrians in Ireland are not the best of friends, according to a new survey.
The results of a survey from Easytrip showed that a farily staggering number of pedestrians (72%) say that they've seen motorists breaking red lights at pedestrian crossings on a regular basis "showing little regard for their safety".
Of the motorists asked, 32% also stated that they had seen regular incidents between pedestrians and other drivers, while 26% witnessed other motorists breaking the red light at pedestrian crossings. However, it seems that those on the footpaths aren't completely blameless either.
42% of motorists surveyed said that they had seen pedestrian walk out in front of a moving car, and 29% also disclosed that they had spotted pedestrians using a mobile phone crossing the road without looking for oncoming traffic. Perhaps the most alarmingly high statistic in the survey was that of the pedestrians who said that 85% were "guilty" of using their phone while crossing the road, be it for texting, calling or simply browsing online.
The only point where a similar number of motorists and pedestrians seemed to agree was on whether jaywalking ought to be enforced here by the police, with 42% of pedestrians saying it should, and 41% of motorists saying the same, as it would help to protect all road users.
Colin Delaney, General Manager of easytrip, commented on the survey saying that "it "has brought up some alarming findings and in particular of those select number of pedestrians who cross the road with little regard for oncoming traffic. On the other side it’s very unfortunate to see that motorists are breaking the red light at pedestrian crossings – a place that is perceived to be a safe crossing point. It is crucial that both motorists and pedestrians respect the safety and rights of each other on the road".
Do you think one group is a worse offender than the other? Tweet or leave a comment below and let us know.
Main pic via Gorka Montiel/Flickr
