MAIN TENDENCIES OF VULNERABLE ROAD USERS' INJURIES

This presentation concerns the study of the injury profile of vulnerable road users, e.g. pedestrians and two-wheelers, and its progression by time, in terms of frequency, nature and seriousness in comparison with injured car occupants. A prospective study on road traffic accidents was conducted in two steps. Two exhaustive investigations were carried out, at ten year intervals, under the same conditions, with the same emergency service and in the same area of Nimes and its outskirts, a South of France middle town. In each case, data were collected prospectively on all road accident victims over a 2-year period. The results pinpoint the main changes in the profile of each road user group, in terms of frequency, nature and severity. Several factors contributed to this evolution. At first, a bias of selection was observed due to changes in the way in which emergency services intervene during road accidents and in its service area. Less exhaustive data concerning light injuries was recorded during the second survey, which increases artificially its accident rate severity. The aging of the population and the growth of motorization on the one hand, and disaffection with light motorcycles contribute to changes in the distribution of the injured per user type, sex and age group. Motor vehicle users seem to be the main objects of road safety measures taken during this decade. The authors' findings showed a decreasing trend in the severity of the injuries for motor vehicle users, and to some extent improved safety for pedestrians. However, the situation of cyclists and motorcyclists remains unchanged.