Single accidents among pedestrians and cyclists, especially on days with slippery road conditions, have been considered an important problem in medical care. The aim of the project was to elucidate possible differences in injury risks for pedestrians and cyclists depending on the type of surface, the quality of the surface and road conditions. Injury registration, road surface studies and exposure measurements were carried out in Gothenburg, Lidkoeping and Umeaa. Three hospitals with existing injury records were chosen. The studies were carried out during 1994. Hospital registration comprised a description of injuries, medical care, long-term consequences and accident sites. Approximately 450 pedestrians and cyclists were injured per 100,000 inhabitants and year. The pedestrian flow is not influenced to any appreciable extent by season and precipitation but by cold weather and road conditions. The cycle flow is influenced considerably by season, precipitation and road conditions. The injured pedestrians are most often elderly women and the injured cyclists most often young boys. The injured pedestrians consider the condition of the road surface to be of significance for the accident, above all icy and snow-covered roads. On bare ground, the surface is more often the cause on high standard than on low standard pavements. One explanation may be adapted walking speed and increased attention, respectively. Concerning cyclists, a high pavement standard is accompanied by a small proportion of accidents. Pedestrians have six to eight times higher injury risks on icy or snow-covered roads than in summer road conditions, while there is only a slight increase in cyclists' injury rates. (A)
Abstract