Older Pedestrians – Meeting Their Safety and Mobility Needs

Pedestrians are an extremely vulnerable road user group and make up a substantial proportion of road deaths and serious injuries. A large proportion of these involve older adults. While there are obvious benefits of walking for health and well-being of individuals and the environment, and pedestrian travel is a major mode of transport, older adults are at increased risk of death and serious injury as pedestrians. The growing complexity of the road environment, particularly the dominance of vehicles, high speed and traffic volumes on many roads where vehicles and pedestrians mix, can place high demands on an older person’s adaptability, whilst ageing can diminish the capacity to cope with many traffic situations. This paper explores the factors that may play some role in crash causation. It presents the results of research investigating the effects of ageing and the onset of medical conditions and associated functional performance limitations on the ability to cross roads safely, and the effects of complex traffic demands that the road environment places on older adults. The results suggest that limitations in functional performance and onset of medical conditions are associated with reduced road crossing skill, particularly in complex traffic situations. The paper discusses the implications of these findings and identifies strategies and initiatives aimed to meet the mobility and safety needs of older pedestrians, particularly within frameworks of innovative road safety philosophies such as the Australasian ‘Safe System’ approach. The recommended countermeasures consist of i) safer roads, through design improvements and reductions in vehicle speeds, ii) safer vehicles, through the promotion of crashworthiness as a critical feature and discouragement of large, aggressive vehicles in the vehicle fleet, and iii) safer road users, through programs that promote adoption of safe driving and walking practices.