On Montenegrin roads from the beginning of the year to the end of September, 11 pedestrians were killed, and 313 were injured - 84 seriously, and 229 lightly, according to data from the Police Administration (UP).
Pedestrians are often not safe even at pedestrian crossings, as confirmed by last week's case when a five-year-old child was seriously injured in Podgorica. On the other hand, analyzes by the authorities show that pedestrians often ignore traffic regulations and "run over" the roads wherever they go...
Professor of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Montenegro, Boško Matović, explains that traffic accidents involving pedestrians most often occur in urban areas where pedestrian activity and traffic volumes have increased.
"The suffering of vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians, causes great public concern. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), half of all traffic fatalities in the world are vulnerable road users, with pedestrians accounting for around one quarter. In Montenegro, the participation of pedestrians killed in the total structure of those killed is 21%, which is almost twice as much as compared to the developed countries of the world," said Matović.
He notes that the improvement of pedestrian and bicycle paths is a basic prerequisite for safer movement of "vulnerable road users".
Driver behavior critical
Matović emphasizes that the driver's behavior is critical and that fast driving leads to fatal outcomes for pedestrians.
"The probability of death in traffic accidents involving pedestrians is a function of the collision speed. This dependence is described mathematically and indicates that at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, pedestrians have a 90 percent chance of survival, while as the collision speed increases, this probability decreases. At a collision speed of 45 kilometers per hour, there is a 50 percent probability that pedestrians will survive, and when the collision speed increases by 15 kilometers per hour, this probability drops by a full 40 percent. At a collision speed of 80 kilometers per hour or more, pedestrians have almost no chance to survive," he explained.
He points out that, historically speaking, Podgorica developed as a car city, because the demands of the citizens "were most often fulfilled by this form of transport".
"Decades ago, we didn't have an alternative for making daily trips in the capital. However, in recent years there has been a change in awareness and the strengthening of the system of public urban transport and micromobility vehicles is noticeable. It is necessary to continue these trends through the strengthening of the public transport fleet and the construction of pedestrian and bicycle traffic infrastructure," said Matović.
Disrespecting traffic lights
In their answers, UP specified that in the same period traffic police officers sanctioned 86 pedestrians who crossed the street in places that were not intended for that. They emphasize, however, that in most cases, police officers act preventively and "warn pedestrians who have committed traffic violations."
Professor Matović points out that the most common "illegal crossings are the most common violations by pedestrians".
"Individual pedestrians try to cross the street while there is a red pedestrian signal on the traffic light and in those situations they are exposed to a greater risk of injury. Research in Podgorica indicates that almost a fifth of pedestrians cross the road during the red pedestrian signal on the traffic lights, which increases the probability of participating in traffic accidents by eight times more than when crossing legally. In addition, it was identified that in Podgorica, about 14 percent of pedestrians cross the road outside the pedestrian crossing in places where they are located in the immediate vicinity, as well as that about eight percent of pedestrians use a mobile phone while crossing the road. These pedestrian behaviors significantly increase the likelihood of being involved in traffic accidents,” he said.
He emphasized that intersections are critical locations where, as he says, conflict situations occur between pedestrians and other road users.
"Even after the introduction of light traffic signals, traffic accidents with pedestrians still occur in these locations. This can be explained by the fact that drivers or pedestrians do not respect traffic light signals," said Matović.
Traffic rudeness
According to Matović, the lack of traffic culture is clearly visible, and it manifests itself "through the everyday unsafe behavior of all road users".
Punishing negligent drivers and pedestrians is, the "Vijesti" interlocutor specifies, a measure that will give short-term results. Matović notes that traffic in Podgorica must be better regulated, because there is significant room for its progress.
"More work should be done on the installation of light traffic signals at intersections where there are multiple traffic lanes per direction. E.g. on Josip Broz Tito Boulevard due to the speed of vehicle movement, traffic load and the presence of multiple traffic lanes that pedestrians have to cross, they are exposed to great risks. This problem will become even more pronounced after the commissioning of the housing facilities for collective housing that are now under construction, when there will be more requests for pedestrians to cross the road. It is also necessary to work on calming down speeds in places where they are recognized as a problem," said Matović.
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