With better illumination, the risk of these situations would have been vastly lower.
My own experience is corroborated by academic study. At night, low-contrast objects, whether poorly lit vehicles, animals, pedestrians or bicycles, are impossible to see in time to stop at normal driving speeds. More specifically, an analysis from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that the risk of fatality to pedestrians and bicyclists was almost four times as high in darkened conditions – even correcting for alcohol use.
Israeli drivers are fantastic at reacting to the unexpected. But if they can’t see, they can’t react.
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I know nothing of the circumstances of the death in the center of the country last night. It was not the only one. Two other young pedestrians were killed in the Negev. I don’t know if cars ran red lights, if the people were jaywalking, if there was a tire failure, if a driver had a heart attack or if anybody had been drinking. And I have no idea what illumination the vehicles or the pedestrians might have had. I assign no fault or blame to anybody.
I can’t speak to these specific cases. But the general rule still stands: even if you are a master of reaction, you need to see. It doesn’t require high-technology; just what we already have. If you are pedestrian, wear something reflective. If you are a driver, fix your lights.
Perhaps, with a little illumination, we can banish a great deal of suffering from our world.