Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorcyclists Account for 65% of Serious Injuries in Accidents

Jesus Monclús, Director of Prevention and Road Safety at Fundación MAPFRE

- Why are there more recorded serious injuries than deaths? Obviously, a serious injury is preferable to a fatality, isn't it? How can these figures be improved? Is there any possibility of these figures reaching zero?

Often, thanks to improvements in road safety, vehicles, and especially post-accident medical assistance, with excellent emergency services and their rapid response, as well as subsequent hospital care, factors that minimise injuries to prevent them from becoming fatal, although in many cases, serious injuries with significant lifelong consequences cannot be avoided.

Death is irreversible, whereas a serious injury may not be, and when it is, it always represents a "second chance," even in a difficult situation, as it allows for adaptation and overcoming.

Several factors are responsible for reducing the number of fatalities and also serious injuries. The main thing is to act preventively to avoid accidents. Firstly, through driver awareness and education about risk factors: speed, distractions, alcohol, and drugs as concurrent factors in most accidents. Secondly, ensuring compliance with regulations through supervision, but we must not neglect the improvement of roads and their maintenance, with routes that forgive errors with smooth exits that prevent abrupt collisions with objects on the margin or restraint systems that, although they do not prevent the collision, control it, absorbing energy and in many cases preventing the vehicle from leaving the road.

Vehicles, which mitigate the consequences of accidents, thanks to, among other things, automatic braking systems, mandatory in new cars since 2022, and although sometimes they are not able to prevent the accident, they do reduce speed significantly. To this, we must add passive safety systems, i.e., those designed to minimise consequences when the accident has occurred, with vehicles capable of absorbing kinetic energy in programmed deformation zones or equipped with passenger safety systems such as pretensioner seat belts, airbags, or headrests, to name a few.

We must be convinced that the Zero Objective is achievable and the only ethically possible one. It is necessary to invest more in all areas of road safety: in smart roads, vehicle technology, and above all, in more child road safety education, for example, education in schools focused on cycling, and more awareness for adults, including talks given by accident victims as part of the training for obtaining different driving permits.

We believe that Vision Zero should be a goal combining technology, public policies, education, and awareness and that it should be achievable. Currently, there are already consecutive days without fatalities in various contexts such as roads or cities or without pedestrian fatalities, cyclists, etc. That number of consecutive days should become larger and also expand the context to which it refers, we must implement measures that we know are effective, look back and see all that has been done, which has been a lot, and look forward, with a future vision, with innovation and relying on the help and knowledge of other countries that are doing better than us and of course, we will not achieve the zero objective without investment and at zero cost.

- It is curious that the figure shows more men than women, why is that?

Throughout the EU, men account for 66% of serious injuries, while women account for 34%. The reasons are, on the one hand, the greater exposure to risk of men, as they travel more kilometres than women, with a higher number of professional drivers being men (transporters, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, etc.) or a higher number of male motorcycle riders, whose accident rate has a significant impact on overall accident figures.

On the other hand, behavioural factors, more reckless in many cases than women, who commit fewer speeding offences or have a lower number of violations related to alcohol or drug consumption, to cite a few examples.

- Why do cyclists still represent a high accident rate? Are the rules not clear? How should we act/improve?

In the EU, 57% of serious injuries are vulnerable users, with cyclists accounting for 25% of all serious injuries, i.e., the highest proportion among serious injuries, even above car or motorcycle users. This highlights the vulnerability of cyclists and the need for specific measures to improve their safety. This vulnerability is mainly due to the difference in speed and mass with other vehicles. To this, we can add the lack of respect for cyclists by some users, with improper overtaking without respecting the minimum distance or the fact that the cyclist is less visible at intersections or in adverse visibility conditions.

To reduce serious injuries, the use of helmets as a protective element is key, as most serious injuries occur as a result of head injuries that can be avoided with a helmet.

Infrastructure plays an important role in cyclist safety, providing segregated routes that make cycling safe as well as healthy.

It is also essential to make ourselves visible when cycling, with bright or high-visibility clothing.

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) also play a major role, as they can help detect cyclists, especially in the case of large vehicles such as buses, vans, and trucks, which also have large blind spots in their peripheral vision.

- The plan involves lower speeds in cities, car safety technologies that prevent collisions and protect occupants and vulnerable road users in the event of an accident, safe roads... Can you elaborate on all these ideas?

Speed reduction is directly associated with a lower number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities, as numerous studies report. It is clear that at lower speeds, there is a shorter braking distance, a shorter distance travelled during reaction time (the time elapsed from when we perceive a danger and act on the vehicle's controls: brake, steering, etc.), and also less kinetic energy in the possible impact, if the accident finally occurs. For example, a collision at 30 km/h would only cause minor injuries, while at just 50 km/h it would almost certainly result in very serious injuries: and how many times do we drive without being aware of it at 50 km/h on a street with a 30 km/h limit, for example, a school street or near a senior centre?

Onboard technology comes to correct or mitigate human error, with systems that help us drive safely, assisting us with distraction or adverse and unforeseen conditions.