Elderly pedestrians warned of truck danger

Elderly people are more at risk than any other group of being killed by trucks in slow moving traffic, it was claimed today.

The National Safety Council said the blind spot in truck-driving cabs was leading to an alarmingly high number of deaths among elderly pedestrians.

It warned pensioners of the danger zone in front of trucks in slow-moving traffic.

Chief executive Pat Costello said: “Normally for every road fatality there are two serious injuries, but for every one serious injury among elderly people there are two fatalities.

“The message is simple: ‘If you cannot see the driver, the driver cannot see you’.”

At least six elderly people are believed to have died due to crossing too close to trucks in 2003.

The problem is particularly acute in small rural towns which form part of major national routes.

Several people have been killed in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan and also in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.

In total almost 1,000 pedestrians were killed in the last five years after being hit by a truck.

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) said many older people were using truck bumpers as a handrail to cross in traffic. It demonstrated today at Arbour Hill in Dublin that pedestrians were completely invisible when passing right in front of a large truck.

President Eamon Morrissey said: “When traffic gets thick people lose their sense of caution. If you look at the Irish attitude generally people will step out in front of trucks all the time. They don’t obey the law.”

The IRHA agreed with the National Safety Council to encourage the installation of larger convex mirrors in all truck cabs.

These ‘Cyclops’ mirrors give drivers greater visibility but are only fitted to around 10% of the approximately 80,000-strong Irish truck fleet.

IRHA spokesman Jimmy Quinn said: “Each mirror costs about €35 so this is not a cost issue. We’ll try to get them in 100% of trucks in a short space of time.”

However he said the Government could also help truck drivers by installing stop signs several yards back from traffic lights and reducing the number of badly-designed junctions, where drivers could not pass without putting the truck wheels on the kerb.

The National Council for Ageing and Older People (NCAOP), which advises the Government on older people’s issues, said its members were vulnerable because of a lack of mobility and sight and hearing problems.

Spokeswoman Jane England said the level of road deaths among elderly pedestrians was shocking.

Ms England said: “Some of those deaths could have been avoided. It would be best if people used designated traffic lights but they’re not always in place and it’s human nature to go from A to B as quickly as possible.”

To prove her point, an elderly woman with a shopping buggy walked around the 45ft-long articulated truck which had been parked for the display. She had to be pulled in to avoid an approaching car.

The NCAOP is preparing a report which will contain recommendations to reduce the level of road deaths among older people.

There have been 207 people killed on the road to date this year compared to 185 for the same period last year.

This figure includes the deaths of 37 pedestrians.