The study’s purpose was to examine the weather that was prevailing at the time of the pedestrian injury and during the 24 hours before the accident. It was of particular interest to study if there were any weather conditions that dominated. The number of injuries in single-pedestrian accidents due to slipping were more than 10 times higher in urban areas compared to non-urban areas. The relationship between injury data and weather data was studied in urban areas in four selected municipalities: Umeå, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. The study shows that female pedestrians are injured to a greater extent than male, among those who stated that slipping on snow or ice contributed to the accident. Moreover, women suffer from more severe injuries. It was not part of the study to investigate the cause of the differences, but one of the reasons seems to be a greater exposure among women. The difference between men and women is greatest for the age group 45—64 years, which is part of the active working age. The distribution of injuries over the day varies, with night hours naturally being the lowest while lunch hours being the highest. The results are intended to be used as a basis for recommendations for winter road maintenance. Moreover they will provide input to the Swedish Transport Administration’s stakeholder strategy for safer walking. The results for the four municipalities show the possibilities of using weather data of this kind as a tool in the planning and execution of winter maintenance. To prioritize pedestrian and cycle paths in winter road maintenance seems to be beneficial both in terms of injury reductions and in terms of costs for health care and sick leave. The study points to the possibility of using weather data as a tool in planning and implementation of winter road maintenance. A pedestrian customized version of the computer program used to calculate the weather situation based on data from weather stations is proposed, as well as pedestrian customized placement of weather stations in urban areas. The impact of the winter weather on injuries in single-pedestrian accidents have been studied using data from the Swedish emergency hospitals, and from the Swedish Transport Administration’s information system on roads weather. We have studied the winter seasons 2008/2009 until 2013/2014. Fatalities have been excluded. (Author/publisher)
Abstract