Pedestrians 'should wear fluorescent clothing' after eight fatal crashes across Scotland, police urge

Pedestrians have been urged by police to wear reflective or fluorescent clothing after a spate of collisions which have caused the deaths of eight people in two weeks.

Police Scotland said that pedestrians are considered “vulnerable road users” and urged them to “ensure they are not putting themselves at risk” as they travel on foot.

The force also urged motorists to “drive with care”.

Chief inspector Lorraine Napier, west area commander of Police Scotland’s road policing unit said: “Pedestrians are considered vulnerable road users and, in winter, particularly when it is dark, pedestrians should wear reflective or fluorescent clothing.

“I would also urge pedestrians to be mindful of their surroundings and to ensure they are not putting themselves at risk

“I would also urge motorists to drive with particular care in areas where people may be on foot or crossing roads and ensure the correct vehicle lights are in operation, free from defects and clean, particularly if the vehicle has automated lights.”

The warning comes after three people were killed in separate incidents in one week in Glasgow.

Emma Newman, from Paris, died after she was hit by a lorry while cycling across King George V Bridge, near the Broomielaw, on Friday, January 27.

The 22-year-old died after being transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Then, on Thursday, February 2, two crashes took place in the Charing Cross area within half an hour.

In the first incident, Chinenye Vera Okonkwo was struck by a vehicle while walking on St Vincent Street at around 7.40pm on Thursday.

The 33-year-old from Nigeria was pronounced dead at the scene. She had been studying public health at Glasgow Caledonian University, where she had been enrolled since January 2022.

A 64-year-old dog walker also died after being struck by a car in the Queenslie area of Glasgow at around 8.30pm on Monday, February 6.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Bartiebeith Road.

Earlier this month, a teenager died following a collision on the M73 near the Gartcosh junction.

Sophie Laing, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, was taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital following the crash on January 29, but died a short while later.

On the A9, 42-year-old John Stanley Lewis died after being hit by a Peugeot 2008 at Perth on Monday, January 30.

He was struck on the road’s southbound carriageway between the Inveralmond and Broxden roundabouts and pronounced dead at the scene.

An 89-year-old man also died the previous day – on Sunday, January 29 – following a crash involving a cyclist in Linlithgow, West Lothian.

Meanwhile, a 75-year-old pedestrian was killed when he was struck by a Land Rover Discovery in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on Wednesday, February 1.

And a 79-year-old man was killed in Edinburgh on Saturday, February 4 after being struck by a bus on Haymarket Terrace.