Pedestrian wheelchair users have more than 30% risk of dying from car collisions compared to other types of pedestrians, says a new study.
Researchers from Georgetown University's School of Medicine studied the vulnerability of pedestrians who are on wheelchairs using the data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between the years 2006 and 2012. The analysis includes news reports and collision reports from police department.
Based on the results, more than 75,000 pedestrians are injured in public roads every year, and about 5,000 of them die. However, when the information among the different kinds of pedestrians is compared, pedestrian on wheelchairs can get killed 36% times higher than other pedestrians with at least 520 of them dying. There's also a huge difference between genders as men are more likely to be killed than women.
The study didn't specifically identify the reason for the increased risk, but the researchers believed that many factors could have contributed the high fatality rate. One, it's possible that drivers wouldn't be able to see pedestrians on wheelchair since they are much closer to the ground. The response time of both the driver and the wheelchair-bound pedestrian prior to collision can also have a profound impact. The researchers also think that certain preexisting conditions may decrease these types of pedestrians from a car crash.
To reduce the rate of killer car crashes, especially among persons with disabilities, the team suggests that drivers should follow the practical but effective rules in driving. Drivers should avoid using mobile devices including texting and adhere to traffic lights, although based on the study, around 35% of the crashes happened in areas where they were no stoplights to begin with.
Drivers should also be aware that they are sharing roads with various kinds of drivers and commuters such as those in bikes and wheelchairs. Thus, they need to understand that their reaction to driving would always be different.
