The Press SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1953. Road Safety for the Elderly

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28542, 22 March 1958, Page 12

The Press SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1953. Road Safety for the Elderly

Of the 435 pedestrians killed on the roads in the last five years, 206 were more than 60 years of age. Since elderly persons are not nearly half the total number of pedestrians, there must be special reasons for their high casualty rate. The reasons are known, but not, it is obvious, properly appreciated. To make elderly persons more aware of the dangers they face, the Transport Department will hold a national campaign for their safety on the roads next week. The campaign will not be fully successful unless motorists are also impressed. The campaign is well timed. About three-quarters of the elderly pedestrians killed on the roads last year were knocked down during the winter, generally in the early evening. With daylight now shortening, the need for care is increasing. The winter months, as statistics show, are the most dangerous months for all road users, but particularly for the aged. Motorists have a heavy responsibility to reduce the danger. Most persons over 60 are neither as alert nor as agile as other pedestrians. Failing eyesight and hearing impair their ability to judge speed and distances; and many of them do not have the same road sense as others, because if was not of the same importance in their early life as it has been with younger generations. They can help themselves by remembering to wear light-coloured clothing at night, by walking on the right-

hand side of the road where there are no footpaths, by using pedestrian crossings in towns, and by taking the precautions other pedestrians take before crossing roads. But even then they need the co-operation of motorists. Most drivers remember the excellent “ Mind that “ child ” slogan the department adopted last year during its road safety campaign for children. A child on or beside the road has become, or should have become by now, a signal for caution. The same degree of care for elderly persons is necessary if next week’s campaign is to have a lasting effect. The behaviour of some elderly persons is as unpredictable as that of children; and, since their reactions are slower, even greater care is necessary. Motorists should remember, too, the grave consequences of an accident to an elderly person. Though nearly half the pedestrians killed are more than 60, less than a quarter of those injured are more than 60. Inquires from which younger persons recover are often fatal to their elders. And injuries that are not fatal often cause permanent disability. If elderly persons learn to comply more with the simple rules for their safety, and if motorists learn to expect them to comply less than other persons with these rules, the heavy death-rate in this agegroup will be reduced. The respective duties are not onerous, but the benefits of their performance would be great.