Centre for Policy on Ageing



Sports utility vehicles and older pedestrians — a damaging collision
Author(s)	Ciaran Simms, Desmond O'Neill
Journal title	British Medical Journal, vol 331, no 7520, 8 October 2005
Pages	pp 787-788
Source	http://www.bmj.com
Keywords	Pedestrian accidents ; Private cars ; Accident prevention.
Annotation	Among road users, pedestrians are already a group at high risk, and those aged 60+ are more than four times as likely to be injured by a car than younger people. The authors note the increase in sales of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in European countries and the US: in Ireland, for example, SUVs represent 8% of new registrations. They provide evidence indicating that SUVs represent a significantly greater hazard to pedestrians than ordinary cars: the geometry and height of the front end structure of SUVs contribute to a more severe primary impact on the upper legs and pelvis in collisions with pedestrians. The authors suggest not only an integrated approach from public health and transport and road safety agencies (including vehicle designers), but also raising awareness with purchasers of SUVs of the increased risk of severe injury and death to pedestrians that is associated with these vehicles. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-051020203 A
Classmark	OPB: O3: OQ *
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.