But it's a responsibility of everyone, both pedestrians and motorists, to ensure that they navigate our roads with care.

Sadly too often the basic rules of such road safety are ignored as people rush to go about their daily duties. But is meeting a deadline, or getting to a destination more important than a person's life - maybe even your own?

Perhaps the most important message for every pedestrian is to ensure they not only stick to the pedestrian rules and safety measures, but also keep a watchful eye out for motorists who choose not to. After all doing the right thing doesn't necessarily ensure your safety.

Those rules include crossing at designated pedestrian locations wherever possible, engage in that practice we learned at a very early age - look right, look left and look right again - keep a watchful eye on your young children and if you are out for a walk or run make sure you wear brightly coloured, even fluorescent clothing, to ensure your visibility. And perhaps the biggest one should be to use common sense and this means don't step behind a vehicle that is clearly reversing into a parking space.

If you can see the red reversing lights and a vehicle moving backwards choose to cross at a different site. That reversing motorist already has their attention focused on the vehicles parked at the front and back of them, their proximity to the gutter and in many cases the inconsiderate motorists who overtake instead of waiting a few extra seconds for the manoeuvre to be completed.

In the same token every motorist needs to be mindful that they are in control of a powerful machine in an area that is shared with people who are far more vulnerable, but equally entitled. They have a responsibility to navigate the road with vigilance while being prepared for those unexpected situations when a child does break away from a parent and runs onto the road or when someone suddenly steps off the kerbside without care.

Regardless of whether the pedestrian was wrong or right in their actions how would you cope with the knowledge that you ultimately caused another person's injury or death.