How can we reduce casualties when there are greater numbers of more vulnerable older adults using our roads?  How can we enable greater numbers of older people to stay safe on our roads?  How can and should existing interventions be adjusted to cater for an ageing population? 

Background

The improve transport for the user strategic priority is critical in ensuring the department delivers and maintains a transport system that meets the needs of the public and addresses what they care about most. It puts the needs and expectations of current and potential users (both passengers and freight customers) at the heart of the operation of the transport system and considers about end-to-end journeys, not just individual transport modes. It is focused on ensuring that our infrastructure and the services which use it meet the varied needs of businesses and the public, are attractive, affordable, sustainable, and resilient is a crucial goal for the department.

Next steps

Get in touch with bridgetoresearch@dft.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

DFT-Areas of research interest 2023 GOV UK

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Improving Safety for Older Public Transport Users

    Older people generally become more dependent upon public transport in later life as their ownership and use of passenger cars becomes more difficult. Therefore, it is necessary that they perceive the public transport sys...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: Loughborough University

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question by examining how injuries are caused in accidents involving public transport vehicles and how injuries could be prevented by engineering solutions. The authors have the necessary expertise to competently answer the question.

  • Systematic and orchestrated deployment of safety solutions in complex urban environments for ageing and vulnerable societies

    The emergence of complex urban mobility environments where unknown interactions between different types of VRUs and between VRUs and motorised vehicles poses the need for a clear understanding of user behaviours, fair an...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project specifically focuses on safety solutions for ageing and vulnerable societies using urban environments, aligning with the question's concerns about reducing casualties for older adults on roads.

  • RoadRadar

    Road traffic incidents involving vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) are the 8th leading cause of death globally and according to WHO, around 1.4 million deaths occur each year. In Great Brita...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: K-SAFE LIMITED

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question by developing RoadRadar, a technology that builds a virtual safety bridge between vehicles and vulnerable road users to raise awareness and prevent potential incidents. The authors have the necessary expertise to competently answer the question.

  • Helping Older Drivers continue driving safer for longer

    The research explores: what problems older people experience with the ability to continue driving safely as they get older; identifying the technologies that could potentially assist them to continue driving; proof of co...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: Newcastle University

  • Individualised insurance for Older people: preserving independence and fairness while improving safety through data.

    Reaction time, vision and other faculties vital for safe control of road vehicles decline with age, leading to an increase in risk and in turn in motor insurance premiums, somewhat analogous to the other end of the scale...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: MIND FOUNDRY LIMITED

  • A New Metric for the Assessment of Driver Crash Risks

    Road accidents account for thousands of deaths and injuries each year in Great Britain. Central to concerns for road safety are younger and older drivers who are reported to have crash rates per mile driven or per trip m...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Essex

  • Understanding the views of older adults and people living with Mild Cognitive Impairment on driving and fitness to drive

    Unfitness to drive is a major contributing factor of road crashes and age-related neurodegenerative conditions are a growing area of concern for road safety. With life expectancy constantly increasing, the number of elde...

    Funded by: ISCF

    Lead research organisation: University of Sheffield

  • Responsible Automation for Inclusive Mobility (RAIM): Using AI to Develop Future Transport Systems that Meet the Needs of Ageing Populations

    To capture the full social and economic benefits of AI, new technologies must be sensitive to the diverse needs of the whole population. This means understanding and reflecting the complexity of individual needs, the var...

    Funded by: FIC

    Lead research organisation: University of Leeds

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project specifically focuses on using AI to develop future transport systems for ageing populations, addressing the question directly.

  • Multi-Disciplinary Pedestrian-in-the-Loop Simulator

    Pedestrians represented roughly 24% of road fatalities and 22% of the seriously injured in the UK in 2015 (Department for Transport, Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2015, Annual Report). The most commonly recorde...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Leeds

  • TRANS-SAFE

    The TRANS-SAFE project will involve national, regional, and city level demonstrations to test different types of innovative and integrated Safe System solutions, complemented by a comprehensive toolbox, capacity developm...

    Funded by: Horizon Europe Guarantee

    Lead research organisation: WALK21 FOUNDATION