Vulnerable Road Users
SWOV Fact Sheet
Source: Institute for Road Safety Research (SWOV)
The group of vulnerable road users can be subdivided in a number of ways such as the amount of protection in traffic (e.g. pedestrians and cyclists) and the amount of task capability (e.g. the young and the elderly). Vulnerable road users do not usually have a protective 'shell', and also the mass difference between the colliding opponents is often very important. Vulnerable road users can be spared by limiting the driving speed of motorized vehicles and separating as much as possible unequal road user types. Adapting motor vehicles (e.g. by side-underrun-protection of lorries and collision-friendly car fronts) can lessen the injury severity of vulnerable road users.
