Older Pedestrians at Increased Risk in December

Older pedestrians are at increased risk of injury on the roads during the month of December, according to recent research.

The report, by Direct Line Car Insurance and PACTS (the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety), revealed that there are 20% more deaths and serious injuries amongst those aged 60 and over in December compared to the monthly average. Each year on average there are over 16,000 senior pedestrian casualties on UK roads, with 3,275 of these either killed or seriously injured.

Those aged 60 and over are apparently most vulnerable between 4:00pm and 6:00 pm in December. People in this age group are 26% more likely to be killed or seriously injured between 4:00pm and 5:00pm and 30% more likely between 5:00pm and 6:00 pm compared to the average for the rest of the year.

It is not just older age groups that are especially vulnerable as pedestrians. On average each year, 177,982 adult pedestrian casualties are recorded on the roads, almost enough to fill Wembley Stadium twice. On average, one in every 284 adults will be a pedestrian casualty on the roads each year, with 22,158 killed or seriously injured.

“Pedestrian casualties on the roads remain far too high,” commented Gus Park, director of motor at Direct Line. “We need to invest resource in understanding the traffic control measures that can be put in place to help reduce pedestrian casualties. There is a clear increase in casualties amongst the older generation in December, so both drivers and pedestrians are urged to use caution on the streets.”

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