Attachm <br />Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners <br />Attach <br />1.2.3 Who are killed and injured as pedestrians? <br />Pedestrians form a mixed group of people with respect to age, gender and <br />socioeconomic status. Characteristics of killed or injured pedestrians vary widely <br />across countries and sub-national areas, underscoring the necessity of local data <br />collection and analysis to develop a thorough understanding of the problem at the <br />local level (see Module 3). <br />Age <br />Pedestrian crashes affect people from different age groups, though some age groups <br />may be represented more than others in certain settings. For example: <br />. About 57% of pedestrians killed in road traffic crashes in four South African cities <br />were found to be aged from zo to 44 years (24). <br />. In the United States in 2.oo9, the fatality rate for pedestrians older than 75 years <br />was 2,.z8 per ioo ooo, higher than the fatality rate of any other age group (zs). <br />. In Hyderabad, India, 61% of pedestrians involved in road traffic crashes were <br />between zi and 40 years (26). <br />. In New South Wales, Australia, in zoio, zo% of pedestrians killed were less than 2.1 <br />years old, and 19% were aged between zi and 40 years (27). <br />. A study of road traffic injuries among children and adolescents in urban Africa <br />found that 68% of the cases were pedestrians (28). <br />. A survey conducted in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, found that 45% of those injured <br />as pedestrians were adults (Zp). <br />Sex <br />Male pedestrians, both children and adults, have been found to be over-represented <br />in pedestrian collisions. For example, a study conducted in the United States found <br />that males accounted for 70% of pedestrian deaths, with a fatality rate of z.i9 deaths <br />per ioo ooo population, compared to a female fatality rate of o.91 per ioo ooo (30). <br />A study conducted in Mexico found the pedestrian mortality rate to be higher <br />among males (io.6 per ioo ooo population) than females (4 per ioo ooo) (3r). A <br />study of alcohol-impaired pedestrian patients in a South African hospital showed a <br />male: female ratio of 1.3:1 (32). <br />Socioeconomic status <br />Socioeconomic status is a significant determinant of pedestrian injury. In general, <br />people from poorer communities tend to be at a higher risk of pedestrian injuries. <br />For example: <br />. The risk of pedestrian injury for children in the lowest socioeconomic stratum was <br />more than twice that of children of higher socioeconomic status categories in the <br />United Kingdom (33)• <br />Pedestrian crashes were four times more frequent in poor neighbourhoods of <br />Orange County in California, United States (34)• <br />13 <br />C <br />B <br />58 <br />