Literature Review On Vehicle Travel Speeds And Pedestrian Injuries

The relationship between vehicle travel speeds & pedestrian injury was reviewed. Higher vehicle speeds are associated with both a greater likelihood of pedestrian crash occurrence & more serious pedestrian injury. Only 5% of pedestrians would die when struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph or less. This compares with fatality rates of 40, 80, & nearly 100% for striking speeds of 30, 40, & 50 mph or more respectively. Reductions in vehicle travel speeds can be achieved through lowered speed limits, police enforce. of speed limits, & public info. Long-lasting speed reductions can be achieved through engineering approaches such as road humps & increased use of stop signs. Tables.

A recent research report released by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that almost 175,000 pedestrians died on U.S roadways between 1975 and 2001. It was also noted in the report that 12% of all deaths related to motor vehicle crashes in the country are pedestrian fatalities. Most of the safety technology to date in vehicles has been applied to protect the occupants in the vehicle. What can vehicle manufacturers do to reduce pedestrian fatalities? With research being focused on two major fronts - methods to sense the presence of pedestrians and warn drivers of their location, and ways to design vehicles that can help not only adults of various age groups to survive an impact between them and a vehicle but also children that are smaller than most adults - the technical papers in this SAE Progress in Technology Series book explore ways the automobile can be designed to help reduce fatalities and injuries when a pedestrian and vehicle meet during an impact.

Every day thousands of people are killed and injured on our roads. Millions of people each year will spend long weeks in the hospital after severe crashes and many will never be able to live, work or play as they used to do. Current efforts to address road safety are minimal in comparison to this growing human suffering. This report presents a comprehensive overview of what is known about the magnitude, risk factors and impact of road traffic injuries, and about ways to prevent and lessen the impact of road crashes. Over 100 experts, from all continents and different sectors -- including transport, engineering, health, police, education and civil society -- have worked to produce the report. Charts and tables.