What are car reverse lights? Most pedestrians don’t have a clue

Most non-drivers don’t have a clue how to tell if a car is about to reverse into them, new research has found.

Only 44 per cent of non-drivers surveyed by YouGov for Injury Prevention Week (17-21 August) knew to look out for reverse lights.

“When walking behind a parked car everyone should be aware that it is about to reverse towards you when those white lights come on,” said Sam Elsby, president of APIL, a national not-for-profit group which hosts Injury Prevention Week. 

Some of the more worrying responses to the survey question about how to tell if a vehicle is about to reverse included:

•    “Make eye contact with the driver”

•    “Look for fogged up windows to know someone is in the vehicle”

•    “Check the car’s wing mirrors”

•    “The driver beeping their horn”

•    “Using hazard lights”

“We’re focussing on pedestrian safety during this Injury Prevention Week because pedestrians account for more than a quarter of road deaths. And the very latest figures show that nearly 22,000 people on foot were killed or injured in the last year. That’s 60 people harmed just today,*” said Sam. 

“The number of pedestrian fatalities has remained broadly constant over the last ten years,” he added.

“There is a dedicated section of the Highway Code for pedestrians, but our survey also revealed that almost three quarters of UK adults who don’t drive said they have not read the rules, or couldn’t recall doing so,” he went on. 

“Everyone has to play their part in avoiding needless injuries and deaths on our roads – including pedestrians.”