The newest iteration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report details the ever-increasing risks faced by pedestrians as they age. Hopefully, government officials can begin to understand these trends and install the types of safety mechanisms that can go a long way toward protecting persons on foot.
The research looked at the estimated 47,000 pedestrian fatalities which occurred between 2001 and 2010 across the country. Among those fatalities, persons over the age of 75 were killed at double the rate of persons younger than 34. The CDC worries that these heightened numbers of deaths will show no signs of slowing down as the population of the country ages.
The CDC also figures that the disparity in demographics might have to do with decreased vision, physical ability, and mental functions. The agency also notes that a vehicle strike on an older person is far more likely to result in a fatality compared with a younger individual. So even though younger persons take more walks, they’re more likely to bounce back when an accident does occur.
Those weren’t the only interesting trends. 75% of fatalities took place in a city setting, while men were more likely to be killed than their female counterparts. Researchers estimate that the latter fact can be attributed to men’s proclivity to put themselves into more dangerous situations.