Voices of the Vulnerable: Insights from A German Road Safety CoCreation Workshop
Gargy M. Sudhakaran, Maria Pohle, Colin Anthony Booth, Abhinesh Prabhakaran, Samuel J. Abbey, Panagiotis Georgakis, Suresh Renukappa, Subashini Suresh, Vanessa S. Hilse, Nora Strauzenberg · Proceedings of the International Conference on Civil, Structural and Transportation Engineering · 2025
Global Road traffic incidents account for approximately 1.19 million fatalities annually, with an additional 50 million people sustaining injuries.Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) constitute a significant proportion of these statistics (almost half).The scenario is akin to Europe, where 70% of the overall road fatalities are attributed to VRUs.Initiatives like the European Commission's Vision Zero aim to eliminate road accident fatalities and enhance transportation safety.Therefore, understanding the specific challenges VRUs face is crucial to address this issue effectively.While prior studies have explored challenges among specific VRUs, this study comprehensively gathers a wide range of stakeholder groups and analyses the various attitudinal and subjective concerns of VRUs in Germany.By adopting a co-creation approach through online workshops, insights and common challenges faced by VRUs were identified.Key themes such as infrastructural issues, behaviour and attitude, requisite for training and awareness, law and regulation enforcement, personal safety concerns, leveraging technological advancement, environmental concerns, and potential solutions emerged from thematic analysis of qualitative data.This provides valuable information for those instrumental in driving change and for those delivering policy.Moreover, this study underscores the importance of involving end-users in planning mobility infrastructure to tailor safety measures to diverse VRU needs.Adopting a human-centric design approach is critical to reducing road injuries and fatalities and ensuring equitable access and safety for all VRUs in Germany.