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SWOV Fact sheet - Vulnerable road users

SWOV, Leidschendam, the Netherlands
July 2009

Summary

The group of vulnerable road users can be defined in a number of ways, such as by the amount of protection in traffic (e.g. pedestrians and cyclists) or by 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 difference in mass between the colliding opponents is often very important. Vulnerable road users can be spared by limiting the driving speed of motorized vehicles and separating unequal road user types as much as possible. Adapting motor vehicles (e.g. by side-underrun-protection for lorries and collision-friendly car fronts) can lessen the injury severity of vulnerable road users.