This paper discusses some aspects of accidents in which pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle riders are involved. The data for this study come from a larger at-the-scene investigation of road accidents which has been underway in the central part of Britain since 1965. The study was so designed that the sample of accidents would be representative as far as possible of the national situation in terms of such factors as urban to rural ratio, time of day distribution and injury severities.
Pedestrian accidents are shown to be essentially an urban problem, with marked differences between adults and children both in collision circumstances and consequent injuries. Cyclists involved in accidents are mainly male teenagers, and are the least severely injured of the road users considered. Motorcyclists show different accident characteristics according to the environment of the collision. Urban collisions involve many side impacts and leg injuries, while rural collisions are either head-on or rear-end ones. These motorcycle riders are almost always young males, but half of the passengers (either pillion or sidecar) are female. Helmet use is discussed, and the effect of engine size on the accident characteristics is outlined.