Nearly 40% of people who are blind or vision impaired have been injured by footpath obstacles.
That's according to a new survey, conducted among NCBI service users, as it launches its annual #ClearOurPaths campaign.
Those who were injured also provided insight into the types of injuries sustained.
One person revealed that they suffered a 'broken ankle' as a result of unexpected street furniture on a footpath.
A van parked across a footpath in Co Kildare. Picture by: NCBIAnother person said a car parked on the footpath meant they couldn’t pass it on the inside, so had to go onto the road.
"As I came off the footpath I tripped and went down, spraining my wrist," they said.
A third person told the survey: "An object hanging out of a truck collided with my face."
NCBI Access and Mobility Manager Chantelle Smith told Breakfast Briefing people's confidence was also knocked.
"Nearly 70% of people who have experienced collisions, or near-collisions, have had their confidence impacted as well," she said.
"That is going to mean that they're less likely to get out and about independently because of these dangers that they're encountering day-to-day."
Most common obstacles
Respondents were asked to pick the top three most common unexpected obstacles they encountered on footpaths.
Cars parked on footpaths were the most common, followed by dog fouling and wheelie bins.
Ms Smith said most objects can be easily removed.
"There's easy ways to remedy the number of sandwich boards and street clutter that exists in our communities," she said.
"A lot of people just aren't aware of the impact that they can have on other people's lives; the fact that they can positively change someone's day by just spending an extra minute finding a proper car park, or pulling in the bin as close as possible to the fence line.
"These surveys every year have showed the same results, which are extremely disturbing, and there's very real need for us to all clear our paths," she added.
