Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Is 30 km/h a ‘safe’ speed? Injury severity of pedestrians struck by a vehicle and the relation to travel speed and age

Kröyer, Höskuldur LU (2015) In IATSS Research 39(1). p.42-50
Abstract
This study uses Swedish accident data for the years 2004–2008 to analyze the relationship between injury severity for pedestrians struck by a vehicle and the speed environment at accident locations. It also makes use of a multinomial logit model and other statistical methods. Speed measurements have been performed at accident sites, and the results show that there was a relationship between the (1) mean travel speed and (2) the age of the pedestrian struck and the injury severity and risk of fatality. The data also shows that even though fatal accidents (excluding run-over accidents) are rare in speed environments where the mean travel speed is below 40 km/h and severe injuries are rare below 25 km/h, over 30% of severe injury accidents... (More)
This study uses Swedish accident data for the years 2004–2008 to analyze the relationship between injury severity for pedestrians struck by a vehicle and the speed environment at accident locations. It also makes use of a multinomial logit model and other statistical methods. Speed measurements have been performed at accident sites, and the results show that there was a relationship between the (1) mean travel speed and (2) the age of the pedestrian struck and the injury severity and risk of fatality. The data also shows that even though fatal accidents (excluding run-over accidents) are rare in speed environments where the mean travel speed is below 40 km/h and severe injuries are rare below 25 km/h, over 30% of severe injury accidents occur in speed environments below 35 km/h. This indicates that 30 km/h speed limits might not be as safe as previously believed. The current speed policy needs to address this issue. To the author's best knowledge this is the first study that analyzes the relation between mean travel speed and injury severity for pedestrians struck by vehicles. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
IATSS Research
volume
39
issue
1
pages
42 - 50
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85027953129
  • wos:000210053700006
ISSN
0386-1112
DOI
10.1016/j.iatssr.2014.08.001
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5d66a097-5715-4219-ae84-453490db858a (old id 8194893)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:08:10
date last changed
2022-03-21 22:22:33
@article{5d66a097-5715-4219-ae84-453490db858a,
  abstract     = {{This study uses Swedish accident data for the years 2004–2008 to analyze the relationship between injury severity for pedestrians struck by a vehicle and the speed environment at accident locations. It also makes use of a multinomial logit model and other statistical methods. Speed measurements have been performed at accident sites, and the results show that there was a relationship between the (1) mean travel speed and (2) the age of the pedestrian struck and the injury severity and risk of fatality. The data also shows that even though fatal accidents (excluding run-over accidents) are rare in speed environments where the mean travel speed is below 40 km/h and severe injuries are rare below 25 km/h, over 30% of severe injury accidents occur in speed environments below 35 km/h. This indicates that 30 km/h speed limits might not be as safe as previously believed. The current speed policy needs to address this issue. To the author's best knowledge this is the first study that analyzes the relation between mean travel speed and injury severity for pedestrians struck by vehicles.}},
  author       = {{Kröyer, Höskuldur}},
  issn         = {{0386-1112}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{42--50}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{IATSS Research}},
  title        = {{Is 30 km/h a ‘safe’ speed? Injury severity of pedestrians struck by a vehicle and the relation to travel speed and age}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2014.08.001}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.iatssr.2014.08.001}},
  volume       = {{39}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}