Who is most affected by crashes?

We’re excited to announce that Austroads has commissioned Victoria Walks, in partnership with Planning Perspectives Plus (PPP), to research the way different groups of people are affected by pedestrian crashes.

Led by Victoria Walks, the team will be delivering the project Understanding Inequity in Pedestrian Safety Outcomes for Austroads – the association of Australian and New Zealand transport agencies. Austroads prepare the main guidance documents for the design, management and operation of roads, for all levels of government in Australasia. 

Walking is a reasonably safe way to travel. But some groups of people are more likely to be hit by vehicle drivers when they are walking. And some are more likely to be seriously injured if they are involved in a crash.

Men and women are almost as likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes, but male walkers are much more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.

As we age, our bodies become more susceptible to injury. Older people are therefore more likely to be seriously injured or even killed if they are hit.

First Nations Australians are highly over-represented as walkers hit by vehicles.

People with disability face multiple challenges when walking or rolling as pedestrians, but the statistics don’t usually tell us whether people involved in crashes have a disability. The socio-economic status of people involved in crashes is not recorded either, creating another potential blind spot in our understanding.

We will be exploring all these issues and more in a comprehensive study of existing research, with new data analysis and expert interviews. This will help us understand why certain groups are affected more than others. We will make recommendations for future research, data collection and road management.

The project team includes Duane Burtt (project leader), Josephine Eady and Ben Rossiter from Victoria Walks and Hulya Gilbert from PPP. The team will also be supported by Bridget Doran from Hamilton in New Zealand to help deliver this research.

Australia and New Zealand’s road safety vision is for zero road fatalities and serious injuries by 2050. This project is part of a larger body of work led by Austroads under the Keeping People Safe When Walking initiative, which specifically focusses on how best to progress pedestrian safety. It is highly encouraging to see Austroads making a strong investment in safety for people walking. 

Our project will inform the development of this research and Austroads Guide documents.

We are looking forward to helping road management agencies across Australia and New Zealand understand how and why various groups are affected differently by crashes as walkers.