Sports utility vehicles and older pedestrians: a damaging collision

Two independent trends in the developed world are likely to reverse some of the hard won improvements that have been made in road safety. One is the ageing of the population; the other the increase in the use of sports utility vehicles (SUVs, high performance four wheel drive cars capable of off-road driving). The first trend produces a growing number of vulnerable road users; the second produces a likelihood of more severe injuries when vehicles and pedestrians collide. Public health professionals will need to work with transportation and road safety agencies to avoid the inevitable consequences of more vulnerable road users and more lethal vehicles. Among road users, pedestrians are already a group at high risk, and elderly pedestrians are particularly at risk. People over 60 are more than four times as likely to die if injured by a car than younger people.(A)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13538047
• Authors:
  • SIMMS, C
  • O'NEILL, D
• Publication Date: 2006-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 6-7
• Serial:
  • Injury Prevention
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
  • ISSN: 1353-8047
  • EISSN: 1475-5785
  • Serial URL: http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Crashes; Design; Fatalities; Hazards; Injuries; Pedestrians; Vehicles
• ITRD Terms: 1757: Age; 1631: Collision; 9011: Design (overall design); 1602: Fatality; 2163: Injury; 1733: Pedestrian; 9150: Risk; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Design; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01061089
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Sep 10 2007 2:17PM