17. Car-Pedestrian Impact

Road users who are not protected by the vehicular structure of an automobile are particularly vulnerable in a crash situation. These road users include pedestrians, bicyclists, motor cyclists, and people riding in non-motorized vehicles, such as horse-drawn carriages and the like. By far, the largest group of vulnerable road users is the pedestrian who travels in close proximity to automobiles and, in fact, often cross the roadways and are at high risk of being impacted by these vehicles. The most effective way of protecting the pedestrian is to separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic, especially in busy urban areas, by the use of overpasses and underpasses at intersections. These are costly solutions and are not available at most intersections, even in highly developed countries of North America and Europe. Strict enforcement of traffic regulations regarding pedestrians in intersections is helpful but many are still injured or killed.