Insurer: A Third of Pedestrian Collisions Happen on Crosswalks
Data from the insurance company BALTA show that over the past two years at least a third of more than 100 vehicle-pedestrian collisions occurred on pedestrian crossings. Experts urge caution from both drivers and pedestrians.
In Latvia, at least a third of collisions in which vehicles hit pedestrians take place directly on pedestrian crossings, according to data from the insurance company BALTA. Over the past two years the insurer has recorded more than 100 such incidents. Having right of way does not by itself guarantee safety when crossing the street, so experts remind both sides to stay alert, especially in the dark season.
Most common causes
Based on incident descriptions compiled by BALTA, drivers often fail to notice a pedestrian while turning left, people cross the roadway in a prohibited place, or someone keeps moving despite a red traffic light. This year 34 pedestrians have been injured on crossings, compared with 33 last year and 37 in 2024. Some of the victims suffered minor injuries, others serious trauma, long rehabilitation and lifelong disability, and in some cases the collisions were fatal.
The insurer also cites unusual cases: a tram driver, looking at the tram's mirrors, failed to see a person ahead, and in another instance a car hit a pedestrian on a crossing without braking. Reversing in car parks is also dangerous.
Kristaps Liecinieks, head of BALTA's Transport Products and Risk Underwriting Department, says pedestrians should make sure the driver has noticed them and can stop in time. Drivers, in turn, must allow for poorer visibility, precipitation and slippery roads in the dark season, which lengthen braking distance.
State Police data
The State Police report that by the end of October this year, more than 500 road accidents involving pedestrians were registered in Latvia. In them 421 people were injured and 14 died.
Oskars Irbītis, a road safety expert at the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), says three fatal cases on crossings were recorded over the past three years, while the number of injured is considerably higher. He stresses that unregulated crossings are especially risky, as road users must assess the situation together. In his words, the commonly cited 30 metres at 50 km/h is an emergency braking distance, while normal driving requires a stopping distance of at least 50 metres.
