Citation

Scholliers J. Eur. Transp. Res. Rev. 2018; 10(2): e60.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, European Conference of Transport Research Institutes, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1186/s12544-018-0337-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There are several definitions for the term "Vulnerable road users". In the definition of Eisses [1], vulnerability is associated to different aspects, including the absence of a protective cage such as pedestrians, cyclists and Powered Two-Wheelers (PTW), physical vulnerability (elderly, children, disabled), the lack of skills to safely participate in traffic (persons with little driving experience, elderly drivers) and sub-optimal traffic behaviour and attitude of the participant (e.g. drunken driving).

During the past decade substantial progress has been made in improving road safety. Between 2006 and 2015 the total number of road fatalities has been reduced by 40%, however the reduction has been less for VRUs (pedestrians 36%, cyclists 27%, motorcycles 28%, mopeds 57%) [2]. The total share of VRUs in road fatalities in the EU is 46%, with pedestrians 21% and PTW riders and occupants 18% [2]. During the past years the decrease for all road users is stagnating, and the European Commission has issued a Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety [3].

One of the potential measures to improve traffic safety is through the use of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), by making the vehicle or the infrastructure more intelligent. The main focus in the previous decades has been on improving the safety of vehicles through various passive and active systems, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Collisions with VRUs are addressed through improvement of detection of VRUs and through reducing the impact of collisions with VRUs. In order to be able to improve the safety of all VRUs, a more holistic approach is needed, which involves all stakeholders, including vehicle manufacturers, national and local authorities and road user representatives...

Language: en