Thousands of pedestrians are injured annually in individual casualties

Pedestrian in Oslo.Photo: Heiko Junge / Scanpix

More than 6,000 pedestrians in Oslo were injured in accidents not involving other road users in 2016, according to a survey from the Institute of Transport Economics.

 

Of the 6,309 accidents involving pedestrians in Oslo in 2016, 97 percent occurred without anyone else being involved, writes Dagsavisen.

“People slide on slippery sidewalks, step into holes in the road, stumble over curbs or get in the way of dogs that owners are unable to keep a hold of,” says Torkel Bjørnskau, research director at TØI, to the newspaper.

The report from TØI is based on figures from the Oslo Accident and Emergency department. Of the many accidents, 7 percent are defined as serious and involve complicated fractures or head injuries. The others were minor fractures, wounds or concussions.

A total of 70 percent of the injuries occurred during the winter months, and there are more women than men who are injured, probably because they are physically less able to withstand falls. Bjørnskau calls for better classic winter maintenance like shovelling and gritting.

“It appears that there was unnecessary damage in 2016. Last winter there were terribly difficult conditions, so probably even more were injured,” says Bjørnskau.

Several men injure themselves at night during the summer, probably in connection with alcohol, but this does not make up a large proportion.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today