Keyword children; elderly people; disabled persons

Children and young people are the most vulnerable group, but elderly people are on the increase as a vulnerable group due to changes in the demographic structure and in lifestyle.

 

Children

For young people (5-29 years), car crashes are the leading cause of death, accounting for more than 30% of victims. Children under 15 years account for 5% of road deaths (6,500 out of 127,000).

Children are particularly vulnerable until the age of 9–10, owing to their weak capacity to concentrate attention on traffic. They are considered to be especially vulnerable when motorized traffic is heavy or fast, visibility is limited or drivers’ attention is diverted.

Elderly people

In the pan-European Region, 21% of traffic deaths per year (over 27,000) occur among elderly people, who also account for nearly 50% of all fatalities in pedestrians in the European member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

People over 60 years old are vulnerable to road traffic injuries because of physical fragility and a declining ability to cope with difficult traffic. New strategies addressing their mobility and safety needs, such as, for example, assessment of road infrastructure and its maintenance, public transport options, new technology, vehicle design and regulations, are essential as elderly people are expected to make up 25% of the population by 2030.