Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners <br />Attach <br />walking along the road and 6 (8.2.%) while engaging in other activities, including <br />hawking (43). The reasons for the patterns summarized in this section are covered <br />in Section 1.3 on risk factors and Module z on roadway design and land-use <br />planning factors. <br />1.2.5 When do pedestrian collisions occur? <br />Night-time travel is one of the greatest risk factors for pedestrians (4445). Twilight <br />and the first hour of darkness typically see a high frequency of pedestrian collisions <br />in the United States and in most other countries (46). <br />In some countries, more pedestrian collisions occur during weekdays than weekends, <br />while in others, there may be more fatal pedestrian collisions on weekends (47). <br />During the month of December in the United States, collisions are concentrated <br />around twilight and the first hour of darkness throughout the week. In June, <br />however, collisions are concentrated around twilight and the first hours of darkness <br />on Friday and Saturday (46). <br />1.3 What happens in a pedestrian collision? <br />Most pedestrian-vehicle crashes involve frontal impacts (49). Figure 1.4 summarizes <br />the contact points between the pedestrian and the car during a crash. It should be <br />noted that in the course of car-pedestrian contact, the whole body wraps around the <br />front of the car. An adult pedestrian is typically `run under' rather than `run over' by <br />the striking car. <br />The sequence of events in a frontal impact is fairly well summarized in studies (49). <br />The starting point assumes a standing adult pedestrian who is struck by a car front: <br />. The first contact occurs between the bumper and either the leg or knee-joint area, <br />followed by thigh-to-bonnet edge contact. <br />. The lower extremity of the body is accelerated forwards, and the upper body is <br />rotated and accelerated relative to the car. <br />. Consequently, the pelvis and thorax are struck by the bonnet edge and top, <br />respectively. <br />. The head will hit the bonnet or windscreen at a velocity that is at, or close to, that <br />of the striking car. <br />. The victim then falls to the ground. <br />15 <br />C <br />B <br />