Buenos Aires, a city increasingly dangerous for pedestrians

Only 10 minutes were enough to define the panorama. One fact stands out from the rest. This should not be normal, but it has become absurdly every day Some time ago: in a corner of Buenos Aires, in front of a Palermo bar, a woman over 80 tries to cross the street. There is a bike path, so you have to search on both sides. In the distance comes a car. Try one foot on the asphalt and then the other. When he exceeds the exclusive centimeters for bikes, he badumes that the approaching vehicle stops. "It will allow me to cross," he thinks. However, she is wrong: she belongs to the most vulnerable traffic group.

The story is as real as it is typical. Frequent and habitual. To such an extent that it has become a norm: "Stay here, wait for the car to pbad", says a mother to her little boy, who looks at her, shakes his hand and obeys the order despite the sign PARE that the driver obviously ignores. The statistics of the city of Buenos Aires are deadly: pedestrians are the main victims of the transit of Buenos Aires.

The Road Safety Observatory (OSV) from the city of Buenos Aires released the latest figures in 2017. The data is overwhelming. A pedestrian priority field study revealed that 80.5% of drivers do not give in to pedestrians. The number rises to 88.5% at intersections where there are no traffic lights and decreases to 54.7% among those who do.

He also revealed that, Between 2010 and 2017, 48 pedestrians died in a grim road. The number is exceeded only by the 56 motorcyclists who died, and it represents 36% of fatal victims. 48 out of 133

The last report of the World Health Organization (WHO) in this regard, he cast a powerful number: More than 270,000 pedestrians are dying on grim roads around the world. 22% of the 1.24 million deaths due to road accidents.

"In Argentina, there is a mission which, in my opinion, has become a utopian goal: educate and educate so that drivers can better drive every day and can prevent injuries and deaths. In the city of Buenos Aires, the problem worsens, but I see it all over the country. With exceptions, of course. But the pedestrian is not respected at allIt's a question of human behavior. We do not know how to do it, "he said. Infobae the president of Let's fight for life, Alberto Silveira.

The National Directorate of the Road Observatory of Argentina (belongs to the Ministry of Transport of the Nation) produces a statistical yearbook on road accidents. The last report is from 2017. In this year, all over the country 5,611 victims were killed in road accidents. Silveira says that this number, in reality, could reach 8,000. Of the official total, 1,520 are from Buenos Aires (CABA and GBA). 219 of these people were pedestrians.

Controls and sanctions which must be guaranteed derive from Law 24.449 on transit, promulgated on 23 December 1994. In clause 41, we are talking about "priorities". "Every driver must always give way at the crossroads of those who cross his right," the standard said. This priority is lost in the event of a contingency, such as crossing a pedestrian.

The paragraph E describes the above: "Pedestrians legally crossing the road on the pedestrian path or in a danger zone marked as such; the driver must stop the vehicle if he puts the pedestrian in danger"

The motor consequences as well as psychological conditions affect almost all people who suffer from road accidents (more than 95%, according to WHO).

"Between the most frequent psychological conditions panic attacks, loss of self-confidence, anger, depression, phobia of travel and / or departure from home, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, anxiety, headaches, nightmares, anxiety disorders food, "he explained. Infobae the doctor Eduardo Silvestre (M.N .: 57.969), member of the Medihome Group.

Each August 17 is commemorated, around the world, Pedestrian Day It is in memory of the first case recorded in 1897. Bridget Driscoll, from the United Kingdom, dead at 44 crushed by a vehicle in a London street. L & # 39; s car It circulated less than 10 kilometers at the hour.

The role of transit agents

Silveira pointed out the lack of control and punishment on the disaster roads. "Traffic officers do not work on the files so as not to allow the pedestrian to cross. It is an essential obligation and it is legislated. It is incredible that this is not accomplished, "he said.

In the Defect code of the City of Buenos Aires (Law No. 451/00), Section 6, it is established that: "The driver of a vehicle that does not respect the path or priority of the crosswalk is sanctioned / a fine of one hundred (100) fixed units (UF)"Each UF costs $ 17.85, so not respecting pedestrian priority is a fine of $ 1,785.

Marianela is a transit agency of Buenos Aires. He prefers not to reveal his last name. He orders the pbadage of vehicles to an intersection in Palermo in which several public works have an impact on the comings and goings of automobiles. "We are sentenced to other tasks, we try to stop a person from crossing in danger, but We never condemn drivers to not let a pedestrian cross. Yes to park poorly or to not respect the order to stop, "he explained. Infobae.

Currently, in the city of Buenos Aires, there is 2,750 transit agents (1,480 women and 1,270 men). General Directorate of Traffic Control and Traffic Safety Officers manifest its "main responsibilities". Number 1: "Collaborate with public transport, fulfilling an educational, informative, preventive and control function, arbitrate the means necessary to comply with the current Highway Code and / or establish audit logs"

The latest Buenos Aires city road safety campaign was presented in March 2017. "Priority actions for pedestrians" exposes awareness campaigns on coexistence in public transport and the importance of pedestrians under the motto #We are all peers.

Traffic lights and pedestrian interventions, infrastructures (ochaves, transfer centers and corridors, waiting platforms), as well as the activation of various communication channels seek to reduce the number of deaths and victims who add items to the list of victims transit of Buenos Aires.

To fight for life He also focused his last campaign on this issue. The civil badociation refers to this subject under the motto "Give priority to pedestrians."

"Controls and sanctions are lacking. If you ask me what's wrong, I have to change the question and answer what was done well, which is very little. And not this government, I'm talking about at least the last 30 years. There is no national or provincial long-term policy. Road safety should be a priority", says Silveira.

And he concluded: "Infrastructure is lacking. There is no road and systematic education in primary and secondary schools. The laws must be enforced, lives are being lost. Around the world, public transport is safer. There is no need to go to Europe, there are neighboring countries that they have improved through sustainable policies over time. There is no other way out. "