Assistance Systems Installed In Motor Vehicles Protect Senior Citizens When Walking Or Cycling
When older people use the road as cyclists or pedestrians, their generally reduced perceptive faculties and slower reactions place them at a comparatively higher risk of becoming involved in an accident. Due to the increased vulnerability that comes with age, their risk of suffering severe injuries is also higher. The European Transport Safety Council’s January 2020 PIN Flash Report 38 “How safe is walking and cycling in Europe?” clearly emphasizes this danger. According to this report, in 2018, people aged 65 and over accounted for around 47 percent of all the pedestrianskilled in road accidents – around 2,435 fatalities. The percentage of cyclist fatalities that fell within the same age group was 44 percent – around 950 fatalities.
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY ALSO HELPS OLDER PEOPLE MAINTAIN MOBILITY
As a result, modern technology is becoming increasingly important in motorized vehicles, as motorists were the other type of road user most commonly involved in these accidents. The General Safety Regulation adopted by the European Commission in March 2019 aims to resolve precisely this problem. The Regulation will makea variety of safety-related driver assistance systems a legal requirement for new vehicles driving in Europe over a number of phases. It will be applied in two stages. Initially, the requirements will apply to all new vehicle types, before their scope is increased at a later date to include all new vehicles (Figure 24). Overall, the new regulations should represent an immense improvement in road safety for all road users. The benefit for senior citizens will often be twofold, as many of these systems will also help them main-tain mobility in their old age.