Protecting Vulnerable Road Users from Injury 英文参考文献.docVIP

PolicyForum ProtectingVulnerableRoadUsersfromInjury AymeryConstant,EmmanuelLagarde* EquipeAvenirpre′ventionetpriseenchargedestraumatismes,CentrederechercheINSERMU897‘‘Epide′miologieetBiostatistiques,’’Universite′ VictorSegalenBordeaux 2,France Introduction mental, economic, and traffic congestion issues.IntheUnitedStates,thelatestdata show a decrease in fatalities for all road users except for motorcyclists and cyclists [6]. In France, where traffic law enforce- ment has dramatically increased since 2002, the proportion of car users among road fatalities decreased by 16% from 1997 to 2007, while those of VRUs increased by 25% over the same period [7].AccordingtotheEuropeanTransport SafetyCouncil[8],thedeathriskper100 millionpersonkilometrestravelledis13.8 formotorisedtwo-wheelers,6.4forpedes- trians, and 5.4 for bicyclists in Europe. Thisistobecomparedwithadeathriskof 0.7 for car users and 0.07 for bus and coach passengers. The severity of VRU injuries is also higher than those of four- wheelers.Forallthesereasons,theaware- ness of the challenge posed by VRU injuries is now moving to the top of the agenda of international aid organisations [9].BasedontheWHOWorldReporton Road Traffic Injury Prevention, a recent recorded only 12% of cyclists’ injuries [11]. Even in the case of severe injuries, the police very seldom record cyclist crashesthatdonotinvolveothervehicles. These crashes are often wrongly consid- eredasnon-trafficcrashesasthebicycleis perceived moreas avehicle for leisureor sport than for transport. This view is all the more inappropriate as the bicycle is increasinglyconsideredasavalidalterna- tive to other transportation means with healthandenvironmentalbenefits. In its latest global assessment of road safety, the World Health Organization (WHO) reminded us that half of the 1.2 million fatalities occurring each year on theworld’sroadsconcernvulnerableroad users (VRUs), with children and elderly being overrepresented amongvictims [1]. ‘‘Vulnera