For vulnerable road users, the risk of dying is halved if they are hit by a 1,800 kilogram vehicle instead of a 1,200 kilogram vehicle. That’s according to a new study from Vias Institute.
Between 2000 and 2020, the average weight of a vehicle increased by about 140 kilograms to about 1,400 kilograms. If no progress had been made in road safety, a pedestrian or cyclist today would be 10 percent more likely to die than 20 years ago.
“On the one hand, vehicles are becoming increasingly safer because they are increasingly equipped with active and passive safety systems. On the other hand, this positive evolution is partly counteracted by the increasing weight. Better protection of vulnerable road users is therefore one of the major challenges in the coming years,” said Vias.
Risk
The risk of serious injury is also 10 percent higher if the vulnerable road users are hit by a 200 HP vehicle compared to a 120 HP model. Age also plays a role: the risk of serious injury is 4 percent higher with a 10-year-old vehicle compared to a 5-year-old vehicle.
For a vulnerable road user, the risk of dying is also four times higher in a collision with a vehicle in a zone where the speed limit is 50 kilometers per hour compared to a zone where the speed limit is 30 per hour.
Why Ascension Day is the most dangerous day in traffic in Belgium
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.