Wednesday morning accident latest in regional string where pedestrians hit by cars

Group opens campaign to raise drivers’ awareness

Geneva: pedestrians are particularly vulnerable at busy intersections with cars, trams, buses

Lausanne, Switzerland(GenevaLunch) – An elderly man crossing the street at the Avenue du Tir-Fédéral in Chavannes-près-Renens shortly before 09:00 Monday  has died at the Chuv (university hospitals), where he was taken. The car and the state of the road do not appear to have been factors, according to local police. The accident is one in a string of serious accidents where cars have hit pedestrians in the region in recent days. It occurs just as a campaign is kicking off to increase awareness by drivers of the problems of elderly pedestrians.

In Geneva early Wednesday afternoon an elderly person was hit by a tram in Carouge, reports the Tribune de Geneve. Police have not yet ocnfirmed details,including the state of the victim. The accident has disrupted service to lines 12, 13 and 14 in the city.

A young boy was hit by a car Tuesday morning in Ollon, in Vaud, at 06:50, as he was crossing the street on the route d’Aigle at the rue du Carroz.

He was taken to the Chuv in Lausanne, where he is in serious condition after being violently thrown against the windshield and right front of the car. The driver, a woman who lives in the area and who was driving toward the centre of Ollon, was not injured. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident.

A week ago, 26 January, two young people were injured when they were crossing a road after getting off a bus and a car, driven by a 21-year-old, hit them.

The Swiss non-profit group Mobilité piétonne this week is launching a national campaign called “Walk at any age”, designed to raise awareness of the need for older people to get out and walk, but also the risks associated with this. Pedestrians over the age of 80 are injured eight times more often than people ages 45-60. Some 3,000 pedestrians are hit by vehicles every  year in Switzerland, and the injuries are often serious.

Drivers in Switzerland are reminded by the group to respect crosswalks, checking in particular for children, the elderly and inattentive pedestrians.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.