Vulnerable pedestrians

Three types of pedestrians are particularly vulnerable in the traffic environment.

Children

Children are impulsive and have little or no sense of danger. Boys are twice as likely to be involved in child pedestrian casualties as girls and children 10-14 years have the highest rate of child pedestrian casualties.

Older pedestrians

Diminished vision, hearing, slower walking speeds and slower reaction times are factors which affect an older pedestrians' ability to cross the roads safely. People aged 60 years and over represent 40 per cent of all pedestrian fatalities, although they comprise about 17 per cent of the total NSW population.

Alcohol affected pedestrians

More than a quarter of pedestrians who are killed in fatal pedestrian crashes have a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than .05 at the time of the crash. And of this group, 75 per cent has BAC of .15 or more.