“I am afraid of the road” Danger of visually impaired people lurking in the crosswalk October 20, 14:43

"I'm more afraid of walking on the street than on the platform or railroad crossing,"

said a visually impaired man.

There is no end to the number of visually impaired people getting into accidents at pedestrian crossings.

Last year, 16 visually impaired people were killed or injured in walking accidents.

Of these, six were in accidents while crossing the pedestrian crossing, and one died.

What exactly are the 'invisible dangers' that visually impaired people face when walking in the city?

Visually impaired person is hit at a pedestrian crossing

In August this year, a blind man crossing a pedestrian crossing in Kagoshima City was hit by a bus and injured.

The company that operated the bus said, "The pedestrian side was a red light."

When we investigated why this accident happened, we heard from a visually impaired group that "roads are the most dangerous."

The danger that the reporter learned while walking together

Mr. Yoshikata Koyama, who lives in the same city of Kagoshima where the accident happened, was born completely blind and usually uses a cane called a "shirojo".

I walked with Mr. Koyama on the commuting route that he always takes.

Shortly after leaving her home, Mr. Koyama came to a pedestrian crossing.

There are several pedestrian crossings on my commuting route, and I try to pass where there are "signals that notify me when it turns green" as much as possible. ” means that you have to cross the pedestrian crossing.

Mr. Koyama stops in front of the crosswalk.

He concentrates on his surroundings, but when the traffic light turns green, he doesn't seem to notice and walk away.

But after a while I started crossing.

A woman who was on the phone nearby sensed that she was crossing a pedestrian crossing.

Mr. Yoshikata Koyama

"First, I judged by the sound that the flow of cars had stopped. However, at this stage, I was skeptical that the traffic light had turned green. I knew by the sound that he had crossed the crosswalk, so I thought, 'It turned blue,' so I decided to cross."

While accompanying him, there was a scene where Mr. Koyama tried to cross the pedestrian crossing even though the traffic light was red.

Mr. Koyama says he has been nearly hit by a car several times.

Mr. Yoshikata Koyama

"I am very careful when crossing a crosswalk. There are many situations where it is a matter of whether you can cross the street or get into an accident." ' is all there is to it, but..."

"Signal that informs with sound" that stops sound

In Kagoshima Prefecture, only about 10% of the total number of traffic signals that notify with sound.

Moreover, since nearby residents sometimes complain to the police that they feel the noise, about 60% of them are set to be silent from the night to the next morning.

Mr. Koyama tries to get home before the time when the noise is stopped as much as possible, but it is said that it is sometimes difficult due to circumstances such as work.

Mr.

Yoshikata Koyama ``If the sound stops, it's uneasy.I wish I could go home while the sound is still ringing, but sometimes I have to work or have other things to do and I'm late.When it's late, it's dangerous. You have to cross while feeling

"Signal to notify with sound" Few nationwide

According to the National Police Agency, there will be more than 200,000 traffic lights on roads nationwide as of the end of fiscal 2021, but of these, less than 30,000 will be audible traffic lights, accounting for only about 10% of the total. I'm here.

And more than 70% of the "traffic signals that notify with sound" have time limits such as stopping the sound at night.

Visually impaired 6 killed or injured in crossing accident

According to the National Police Agency, 16 visually impaired people were killed or injured in walking accidents last year.

Six of them were in accidents while crossing the pedestrian crossing, one of them died.

3 dangers blind people face on the road

When I spoke to Mr. Takashi Miyake of the Japan Federation of Visually Impaired Persons' Organizations, he complained that crossing roads is more scary than station platforms and railroad crossings.

Mr. Miyake himself has severe amblyopia, and he can't let go of the "white eye".

He elaborated on how he feels the roads are the most dangerous of all.

Takashi Miyake, Director of the Organization Department of the Japan Federation of Organizations

for the Visually Impaired: "You may think that the most dangerous places for visually impaired people are station platforms and railroad crossings, but actually walking on the road is more scary. This is because at stations and railroad crossings, trains arrive at set times, so we can be prepared, but on the roads, we cannot be prepared for danger because we do not know when a car will arrive.”

Mr. Miyake said, "There is something I would like you to know."

'Quiet cars' can't detect danger

The first is that the number of quiet cars is increasing.

With the increasing number of vehicles that move quietly, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, the number of cases in which visually impaired people cannot hear the sounds of vehicles, which they rely on along with the presence of people, is increasing.

Mr. Miyake himself says that he was unable to notice the turning car and was involved in an accident.

Also, in recent years, the number of barrier-free roads that do not have steps between the sidewalk and the roadway is increasing, and it is said that there are more and more dangerous situations when people enter the roadway without realizing it.

Smartphones while walking pose a new danger

The second is “walking smartphone”.

Recently, the number of cases of bumping into people who operate smartphones while walking has been increasing, and visually impaired people seem to lose their way of walking when they bump into someone.

In particular, he said that he absolutely wants people to stop using "walking smartphones" on Braille blocks.

The Misunderstanding of Braille Blocks "Walking Sideways"

He also points out that there is a misunderstanding about Braille blocks.

Mr. Takashi Miyake

: Many people think that visually impaired people walk 'above' the tactile blocks, but there are also cases where they walk 'side' while confirming the tactile blocks with 'white paper'. There are steps on the blocks, so if you walk on them for a long time, the soles of your feet will hurt."

Therefore, even if there is no obstacle on the tactile block, if there is an object placed next to it, it will bump into it or break the white paper.

We would like you to avoid placing objects on both sides of the tactile blocks between 40 and 50 centimeters as much as possible.

If you seem to be in trouble, "call out"

Is there anything else we can do to help the visually impaired?

Mr. Miyake told me to look carefully at the situation of visually impaired people and help them.

Mr. Takashi Miyake:

“Visually impaired people walk by making full use of all their senses, such as memories of obstacles, as well as sounds and smells in the city. However, if you are unaware of danger or appear to be in trouble, please do not hesitate to ask for help. I would be happy if you could

We need to start by understanding the dangers and feelings that visually impaired people feel in their daily lives.

Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Reporter

Naoya Kumagai Joined the station

in 2020 After working in

the sales department, he has been in charge of reporting on

incidents, accidents, and

economics as a

reporter since February.

Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Reporter

Naoki Yanagisawa In

charge of coverage of incidents and accidents that will join the station

in 2021

Good morning Japanese reporter

Norihiro Kobayashi

Joined in 2013

Muroran and Sapporo stations cover

primary industries

such as agriculture and livestock, as well as

regional tourism policies.