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Improving safety of older road users

Challenges and opportunities from a road infrastructure perspective

Fred Wegman

SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research

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Ageing and driving, cycling and walking

Differences (with other age groups) reflect both weaknesses and strengths

Accidents:With another vehicleLegally at faultAt intersections (left turn, when

merging)

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Safety problems of older road users

Reduce the need to make complex decisions

Reduce the need to perform time-related tasks (determined by external factors)

Use design elements which match with experience

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Safety principles for road design

Make tasks in traffic simpler by eliminating high-risk conditions and circumstances

If decisions have to be taken, reduce chance on human errors

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Safety principles for design of our road system (I)

Make the road function clear to the road users: introduce functional road network hierarchy

Increase predictability (by using standard elements): road course and behaviour of other road users

Increase homogeneous road use: prevention of large differences in vehicle speed, mass and direction

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Safety principles for design our road system (II)

These principles form the basis of the Netherlands Sustainable Safety philosophy

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Land-use planning

Reduce the amount of travel needed to access services/facilities/social networks by adopting the concept of compact urban form and compact communities

Facilitate safe use of public transportMake walking and cycling safe (frailty!)

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Traffic planning

Functional classification of road network

Preventing necessity of high risks manoeuvres

Make driving speeds more homogeneous and reduce speeds

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Traffic engineering

Apply well known design elements See for example Highway Design

Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians (US DoT, 2001)

See for example Ageing and Transport (OECD, 2001)

See for example proceedings of two conferences in 2001/2002: UK and Australia

And most probably more …

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Example of road design: positive offset

Illustration: Highway Design Handbook for older Drivers and Pedestrians, Federal Highway Administration, USA

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Main Conclusion

Applying three general safety principles for design of our road system across different jurisdictions should be encouraged to improve road safety, also of older road users

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Recommendations for Europe

Review literature on safety of older road users and infrastructure and produce ‘EU-handbook’

Review existing road design guidelines in EU Member States and improve them, if necessary

Demonstrate and promote ‘good practices’

Include safety of older road users in 6th Framework research programme