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Abstract
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Abstract
Introduction: In the EU, the number of seriously injured road users has fallen more slowly than that of fatalities, and fatalities have fallen more slowly for single motor-vehicle crashes than multi-crashes. Instead, the number of injured vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians has increased and there are calls to promote walking and cycling. The study aims to increase the knowledge about serious injuries in single crashes/falls and to study the differences within and between pedestrians, cyclists, car occupants and motorcyclists.
Methods: Data was retrieved from national registries (Strada; National Road Database) for all seriously injured road users on roads, tracks and pavements in Sweden 2016-2019 together with speed limits for crash locations. Statistical analysis used descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression.
Results: More road users sustained serious injuries in single crashes than in multi-crashes. Nearly four out of five were injured where the speed limit was 30-50 km/h, or in areas without any speed limit. The mean Injury Severity Scores (ISS) for pedestrians and cyclists were slightly higher than the definition of a seriously injured road user, while car occupants and motorcyclists had mean scores three to four points higher. The most frequently injured body region for cyclists and pedestrians was the lower extremities, and for car occupants and motorcyclists it was the thorax. Higher age increased the probability of these injuries. Male pedestrians and cyclists had higher ISS scores than their female counterparts.
Conclusions: Pedestrians and cyclists are the largest groups of road users who are seriously injured in single crashes. Pedestrian falls on pavements, tracks and roads need to be included in road-safety efforts for all road users. The road space will define the pedestrian fall as a crash.
Keywords single crash, fall, walking, cycling, ISS.
Language: en |