Pedestrian safety - Global Road Safety Partnership

BOX 4.10: Pedestrians with disabilities
People with disabilities make up 15% of the world
population (60) but it is unclear what proportion of
these are the consequence of pedestrian collisions.
What is known is that, in general, injury rates are
higher among disabled children and adults (61–64).
For example:
• A United States study found that children with
disabilities were more than five times as likely to
have been hit by a motor vehicle as a pedestrian
or cyclist than children without disabilities (64).
• A New Zealand study found that children with
abnormal vision were four times as likely as other
children to have a pedestrian injury, and that children
with abnormal hearing were twice as likely to
have a pedestrian injury (65).
Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners
4: Implementing pedestrian safety interventions
In addition, people with disabilities, like other road
users, may experience anxiety and stress when travelling
on roads without adequate crossings or when
using personal assistive devices (66, 67).
The risk for pedestrians with disabilities is elevated
because of the following reasons (64):
• People with mobility impairments may cross roads
more slowly and may be more at risk for falls if
sidewalks or road surfaces are uneven.
• Wheelchair users will be disadvantaged if kerb
cuts are lacking or if accessible routes are lacking,
and may find it harder to dodge traffic.
• People who have sight or hearing loss may not
be able to anticipate and avoid other road users.
• People with intellectual disabilities may be unable
to make good judgements about safety – knowing
when it is safe to cross the road – or may behave
in unpredictable ways.
Environmental changes are likely to reduce vulnerability
of people with disabilities to road traffic injury (64).
For example, tactile paving can alert visually impaired
people to the edges of steps and pavements, and
indicate safe crossing places. Emerging research has
shown some ways to better provide road safety facilities
for pedestrians with disabilities. Participative
research in Papua New Guinea, for example, explored
the views of local road decision-makers and people
with disabilities about road planning in rural and
urban areas, with the aim of promoting inclusion of
people with disabilities in road planning. This action
research has led to a greater awareness and partnership
(68). Research in the UK has investigated road
safety experiences of deaf people – including drivers
and pedestrians – and recommended measures to
improve their safety and the police response to their
needs (69, 70). However, more research is needed
on the risk of injury to people with disabilities and
appropriate prevention strategies.
The World report on disability highlighted the importance
of accessibility. The basic features of access
should include (61):
• provision of kerb cuts or ramps;
• safe crossings across the street, with signalling
that can be detected by people with sight or hearing
loss, and crossing periods that enable people
with mobility impairments to cross;
• accessible entries to buildings;
• an accessible path of travel to all spaces; and
• access to public amenities, such as toilets.
© Virot, WHO
89