EU - Road safety - Pedestrians and Cyclists - 0 views
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Ihering Alcoforado on 06 Nov 11Pedestrians and Cyclists Introduction | Crash characteristics where and how | Measures to reduce crash numbers and injury severity | Pedestrians and cyclists unprotected road users | Promote cycling and bicycle helmets or not | References | Special regulations for pedestrians and cyclists | PDF This text on pedestrians and cyclists safety, reviews the scientific studies on the magnitude and nature of the safety problem, the contributing accident factors, and the effectiveness of countermeasures. For information on the development of casualty frequencies and accident circumstances over the period 1996-2005 per European country, please consult the Basic Fact Sheet Pedestrians [467 KB] and the Basic Fact Sheet Bicycles [574 KB] on the Data section of the website. Diagram & Summary Unprotected road users Walking and cycling are transport modes where relatively unprotected road users interact with traffic of high speed and mass. This makes pedestrians and cyclists vulnerable. They suffer the most severe consequences in collisions with other road users because they cannot protect themselves against the speed and mass of the other party. Of all journeys, 20-40% are travelled by cycle or on foot, with the highest percentage in the Netherlands and the lowest in Finland. Trips on foot take place most frequently in Great Britain, whereas bicycle trips are most frequent in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Some groups of traffic participants walk or cycle more than others. These differences are also reflected in their crash involvement. Walking is particularly important for children below the age of 12 and adults aged 75 and above. The bicycle is used most frequently by adolescents (12-17 years of age). Crash characteristics Of all traffic fatalities in EU countries, the proportion of pedestrian fatalities is about 17% and the proportion of cyclist fatalities is about 6%. Age groups that have the highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities are children younger than 10 ye