The safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs) is becoming an increasingly relevant road safety issue. The promotion of walking and cycling as forms of exercise and the growing popularity of motorcycling means that action must be taken to ensure that vulnerable road users are protected. Vulnerable road users can be defined as: > pedestrians; > cyclists; and, > motorcyclists. As it stands, protection for vulnerable road users has not kept pace with initiatives to provide protection for occupants of passenger motor vehicles (cars, trucks, vans). With a lower percentage of fully licensed drivers than other age groups, there is the concern that persons aged 16-19 can be especially prone to being involved in a crash as a pedestrian or cyclist. Furthermore, given that riding a motorcycle requires experience, younger motorcyclists could also be more prone to injury and fatality compared to older riders. This fact sheet examines the degree of fatalities among vulnerable road users in Canada aged 16-19. (Author/publisher)
Abstract