Traffic accidents of elderly people in the Netherlands; They really are more vulnerable than other road users.

In this paper the vulnerability of elderly road users is analyzed by means of statistical accident data. Two data sources are used: Dutch national accident data of 1987 based on police registration and Dutch national hospital data of 1987. After a short introduction about the problem of elderly road users in general and some crash theory, these data sources are used to calculate and demonstrate differences in fatality, injury and other relevant accident parameters between elderly (55 years and older) and a comparison group of 25-44 years old. In view of the differences, conclusions are drawn about the vulnerability of elderly crash victims, with emphasis on influence of age, sex and traffic category. Finally, suggestions for solutions of the problem are derived using general injury prevention knowledge combined with the specific protection need of the elderly.