Barcelona has the most dangerous street for pedestrians

During the last ten years there have been about 124,000 accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians in which more than 130,000 pedestrians have suffered injuries in Spain, according to the study by the Línea Directa Foundation and Fesvial entitled Walking safely: Pedestrian accidents and risks in Spain (2014-2023))17,000 of the affected pedestrians have had to be hospitalized, and 3,500 have died as a result of the accident, explains the report, based on data from the DGT (Directorate-General for Traffic), the National Institute of Toxicology, and responses to a survey of more than 1,700 pedestrians. This study also identifies the most dangerous street in Spain for pedestrians, where they are most at risk of being hit by a car. It is located in Barcelona: Gran Via, essential for mobility in the city center.

Although Barcelona's Gran Vía is the most dangerous street in Spain for pedestrians, Catalonia is below the Spanish average in terms of the proportion of pedestrian deaths relative to total traffic fatalities. The Community of Madrid, Galicia, and the Canary Islands are the regions with the highest pedestrian fatality rates in traffic accidents, while Catalonia is slightly below the average.

The most dangerous types of collisions

The most common types of injuries in pedestrian accidents depend on the type of impact: frontal, frontolateral, or side. Frontal collisions are the most dangerous for pedestrians and are often associated with skull fractures, internal bleeding, concussions, and other injuries that can affect the brain. Side and frontolateral impacts, on the other hand, are more associated with fractures and injuries to the extremities or pelvis. Finally, a decisive factor in the severity of collisions is the age of the pedestrian: the mortality rate doubles in the population over 65 years of age.

The pedestrian risk of being struck by a vehicle is higher for men than for women, and the average age of pedestrians struck is around 45. Although the vast majority (86%) of pedestrian collisions occur in urban areas, the most fatal accidents occur on highways, with a fatality rate eight times higher than that of accidents in cities. In this regard, it is worth remembering that speed and frontal impacts are two of the main key factors determining the severity of pedestrian injuries.

Peak of road accidents between October and December

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable group in the entire mobility ecosystem, and unlike cyclists or motorcyclists, everyone is a pedestrian at various times throughout the day. Seventy-two percent of pedestrian collisions involve passenger vehicles or conventional cars, and the pedestrian had not committed any type of violation. However, 41% of pedestrians struck during the analyzed period had consumed alcohol, drugs, or psychotropic drugs that altered their level of perception, attention, and response. The majority of collisions occur on weekdays, with a particularly significant peak during the months of October, November, and December.

The most common pedestrian violations that cause accidents are crossing the street outside of pedestrian crossings (16%), walking in violation of traffic regulations (5%), and disregarding traffic lights (4%). Most of the 1,700 pedestrians surveyed agree that pedestrian crossings, far from being considered safe spaces, can be a source of insecurity, and that the authorities ignore the risk posed by cars. Furthermore, four out of ten respondents admit to using their mobile phones while walking at pedestrian crossings, and 35% even do so while crossing the street.

Specifically, the use of electronic devices is one of the factors that most concerns the authors of the study, who warn of a new pedestrian profile they call the "technological pedestrian." This refers to young people between 18 and 25 years old who use their phones or headphones when moving through spaces such as leisure areas, nightclubs, or university campuses, among others. These devices lead to insufficient attention when crossing streets or interurban roads, even in undesignated areas and while cars, trucks, bicycles, or even trams are traveling, as has been the case with some accidents reported in Barcelona's University Zone.