Disabled and low income households most at risk from motor vehicles, says report

Dr Rachel Aldred

Dr Rachel Aldred

Disabled pedestrians and people living in low-income households are much more likely than non-disabled and richer people to be injured by a motor vehicle, suggests a new study.

The study, titled ‘Road injuries in the National Travel Survey: under-reporting and inequalities in injury risk’, was conducted by Dr Rachel Aldred, reader in transport at the University of Westminster. 

The study highlights that for every mile walked, a low-income pedestrian is three times more likely to be injured by a motor vehicle than someone from a high-income household. It also reveals that disabled people are five times more likely to be injured than non-disabled people.

The study found that the National Travel Survey (NTS) records five times more injuries experienced than are recorded by the police. 

Most injuries are minor but can still be frightening and off-putting, especially for more vulnerable people. Comparing road user groups, the highest under-reporting was for cyclists with seven times more injuries per mile than are recorded by police.

Dr Aldred said: “Motor vehicles cause many more injuries than are recorded by police or hospitals. They put vulnerable pedestrians – many with few other options than to walk – at high risk. There is also a very high unreported toll of injuries to cyclists. While the data doesn’t tell us why these inequalities exist, it does suggest transport planning doesn’t do enough to protect the most vulnerable road users.”

The study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), using NTS data – a large and nationally representative sample survey (147,185 adults participating between 2007-15) which included asking questions about any ‘road accidents’ people experienced in the past three years. 

This is the first analysis to use NTS ‘road accident’ data, meaning the research is novel. It does not rely on police or hospitals recording injuries, but on what people say they have experienced.

Xavier Brice, chief executive of sustainable transport charity Sustrans welcomed Dr Aldred’s report. “This research unearths vital insights into the many thousands of minor injuries occurring on UK streets and roads that go under-reported,” he said. “It highlights the inequalities in injury risk and shows what a heavy burden motor vehicles place on everyday life, particularly for disabled people, people cycling and people on low incomes. It shows that road safety is an equity issue and that if we get policy right for the most vulnerable, we get it right for everyone. 

“This contribution should, therefore, inform future transport policy and practice, and offers timely evidence for the Department for Transport’s current Cycle and Pedestrian Safety Review.”

References

Aldred, R. (2018): Inequalities in self-report road injury risk in Britain: a new analysis of National Travel Survey data, focusing on pedestrian injuries has been published in the Journal of Transport and Health. 

Aldred, R. (2018) Road injuries in the National Travel Survey: under-reporting and inequalities in injury risk. London: Westminster University.