The series continues

Darkness as a danger: accidents at crosswalks

Pedestrians should make themselves visible with bright clothing and reflectors, especially in the dark season.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/AllyE - stock.adobe.com)

Within five days, six pedestrians were hit at crosswalks in Carinthia - four of them were "lost" in the dark.

Recently, there was a collision at a crosswalk in Villach: On Thursday evening, a bus driver had overlooked a woman from Villach (51) on the pedestrian crossing and hit her. Barely 24 hours earlier, a woman was hit by a car in the Drau city - also on a crosswalk.

And it was not the only collision on the crosswalk that Wednesday: in the dark hours of the morning, two pedestrians were hit on a crossing in Klagenfurt and Krumpendorf within 30 minutes of each other.

Police give tips
In all cases, the victims were overlooked by the drivers in the dark. "For your own protection, you should wear brightly colored clothing and, ideally, reflectors on your body. This is especially important for children," says police spokesman Werner Pucher. But drivers also need to pay more attention, especially at this time of year.

In the case of the other two collisions at crosswalks in Villach and St. Veit, however, the low sun had "robbed" the drivers of their view of the pedestrians.