During 1993, there were 623 fatal road accidents in Sweden, of these 94 were pedestrians. This was the lowest number of fatalities recorded in Sweden for many decades, and the total number of road fatalities in Sweden is still decreasing. Some results from a recent nationwide travel survey are presented. Pedestrian trips account for only 2% of total distance travelled, but their risk of being killed is about seven times higher than for motorists. Over 50% of the pedestrians killed are aged over 65, and their risk of fatality is five to ten times higher than for young and middle-aged pedestrians. Children do not have a higher risk of being killed. Historically, there has been a large decrease in pedestrian fatalities, at the same time as a large increase in motor traffic. The decrease in fatalities to older and younger pedestrians was even more remarkable. The decreases were due largely to a wide variety of measures separating pedestrians from other traffic modes, and of speed reduction measures at junctions and on roads.
Abstract