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Traffic Tech

Technology Transfer Series

Number 215 March 2000

LITERATURE REVIEWED ON VEHICLE TRAVEL SPEEDS

AND PEDESTRIAN INJURIES

There were about 84,000 pedestrian injuries and 5,585 pedestrian fatalities in the United States in 1995, for a ratio of 15

injured pedestrians for every pedestrian killed. This ratio varied substantially as a function of posted speed limits, from 57.1

on roadways with posted limits of 25 miles per hour or less to just 0.3 injuries per fatality for posted speed limits of 60 mph

or higher.

Preusser Research Group, Inc. prepared a literature review and data analysis to reaffirm and quantify the relationship

between vehicle speeds and pedestrian crash severities. They also described techniques that have been used to reduce

vehicle speeds and reviewed their effectiveness.

Vehicle Speed and Pedestrian Injuries

The idea that the faster a striking vehicle is traveling, the more damage is done to a struck pedestrian has been documented

in a number of studies. One estimate is that about 5 percent of pedestrians would die when struck by a vehicle traveling 20

mph at impact; about 40 percent would die for vehicles traveling 30 mph at impact; 80 percent at 40 mph; and nearly 100

percent would die when struck by vehicles traveling at speeds over 50 mph at impact.

One reviewed study examined about 1,000 urban crashes with pedestrians younger than 20 years of age. It found that

compared to crashes with vehicle travel speeds of 10-19 mph, the risk of serious injury (or death) was 2.1 for speeds of 20-

29 mph, 7.2 for speeds of 30-39 mph, and 30.7 for speeds of 40 mph or more. In Denmark, national speed limits were

lowered several times beginning with the introduction of general speed limits in 1974. One summary study found that actual

travel speeds came down with each speed limit reduction, and each time, pedestrian injuries were reduced in frequency and

severity. Numerous additional European studies document the effects of traffic calming changes on crash reductions and

pedestrian safety.

State of Florida

In Florida in 1993 - 1996, 32,651 of the pedestrians in crashes were in single-vehicle crashes (91 percent). For 23,831 of

those pedestrians (74 percent), estimated travel speeds were provided for the striking vehicles. For those pedestrians, there

were 1,550 (6 percent) fatalities, 6,414 (27 percent) with A (incapacitating) injuries, 9,206 (39 percent) with B (nonincapacitating) injuries, and 6,583 (28 percent) with C (possible) or no injuries. The proportion of serious injuries and

fatalities increased steadily with increasing vehicle speeds (as estimated by the investigating police officer).
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Older Pedestrians More Likely to be Injured

Younger pedestrians are generally more able to resist serious injury and death, while elderly pedestrians are much more

susceptible to more serious consequences as crash victims. Within age groups, the fatality rate increases sharply with

increasing vehicle speed, as illustrated in the next figure. Overall, pedestrians age 65 and older are more than 5 times as

likely to die in crashes than pedestrians age 14 or less, and the likelihood of death increases steadily for ages in between. For

vehicle travel speeds above 45 mph, pedestrians above age 65 die in about 5 of 8 crashes.

Speed Control Literature

In the United States, speed control traditionally emphasizes reduced speed limits, stop signs or traffic signals at

intersections, and enforcement. Education, in the sense of informing the public of the dangers of excessive speed and the

likely presence of police enforcement, is also used. Increasingly in the U.S., and commonly in Europe,

Australia, and Canada, roadways and intersections have seen engineering changes (traffic calming) designed to encourage

or require drivers to reduce speeds. The report documents these approaches and concludes with recommendations to reduce

pedestrian crashes.

HOW TO ORDER

For a copy of Literature Review on Vehicle Travel Speeds and Pedestrian Injuries,(56 pgs), write to the Office of Research

and Traffic Records, NHTSA, NTS-31, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC. 20590, fax (202) 366-7096, or

download from www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury Marv Levy, Ph.D., and Patty Ellison-Potter, Ph.D., were the contract

managers.

U.S. Department

of Transportation

National Highway 

Traffic Safety 
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Administration

400 Seventh Street, S.W. NTS-31

Washington, DC 20590

Traffic Tech is a publication to disseminate

information about traffic safety programs,

including evaluations, innovative programs,

and new publications. Feel free to copy it as you wish.

If you would like to receive a copy contact:

Linda Cosgrove, Ph.D., Editor, Evaluation Staff

Traffic Safety Programs

(202) 366-2759, fax (202) 366-7096

E-MAIL: lcosgrove@nhtsa.dot.gov