Watch Where Ya Drive, Sonny!
The UNC Highway Safety Research Center and the community of Hendersonville are partnering to develop "safer and more inviting walking environments for older adults." Their hope is to create a model program for duplication elsewhere in the state.
Hey, I'm all for pedestrian safety, but I'm not following their logic. How is it more unsafe for older pedestrians than it is for younger whippersnappers like me? Is it because I can jump out of a crosswalk faster than a 90-year-old with a cane?
Older pedestrians involved in a crash are much more likely than younger pedestrians to suffer serious or fatal injury, due in part to the increased fragility that often comes with age. In fact, pedestrians ages 75 and older have a higher per population fatality rate than any other age group, according to a 2004 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Um, no kidding.
