According to the study, pedestrians and cyclists in densely populated areas are at risk of being struck by a car particularly when crossing the street. From the years 2000 to 2005, a total of 165 pedestrians and 109 cyclists were killed after being hit by a car. Over half of the deaths occurred at crosswalks.
The elderly are particularly at risk. Over 70 percent of pedestrian deaths involved those over the age of 60. And 30 percent of the victims were over 80.
Researchers add that these accidents rarely involve speeding or drunk driving. They say that tragedy strikes when busy and careless drivers simply don't notice those crossing the street. Safety could be improved with more traffic lights. However, it's too costly to provide lights at every crosswalk.
But there are less expensive ways to improve safety. For instance, cyclists could protect themselves by wearing a helmet. Of the 109 cyclists who were killed during the study, only a handful were protecting their heads.