Universality of vulnerability on roads is discussed - roads as public space and playgrounds, children's exposure to diesel fumes and lung disease in later life, and norms governing driving and road behaviour. The hierarchy of vulnerability among road users is developed by reference to accident data in a number of countries. The concept of critical mass for each class of vulnerable road user is outlined. The values of any society reflect its aggregate power and its distribution of power and status. In the context of road safety, these values are partly reflected in the public and private attention given to the safety of more vulnerable road users. At government level, this attention is manifested by the quality and quantity of physical infrastructure and the quality and quantity of programmes to raise the awareness of vulnerability and power imbalance among the more powerful road users. At the private level it is manifested by the frequency, severity and user class distribution of road accidents. The linkage between the two domains harks back to society's distribution of power and status. Income differentiation ratios and national levels of incarceration are examined as indicators of such distribution. The value placed on life is discussed in the context of society's overall values and aggregate wealth. The full paper is not published in this volume).
Abstract