Risk to elderly from sudden bus braking

More careful driving and better bus design are needed in order to mimimise the risk of elderly people getting injured when buses accelerate or brake suddenly, according to a new study.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have pointed out that most non-collision bus passenger injuries are due to falls and these injuries are more likely to happen among older passengers on buses.

Using a computerised simulation model to examine the effects of real-world bus acceleration and braking patterns on standing passengers, the TCD researchers found that passengers are at a high risk of sustaining head or knee injuries in these situations.

The researchers found that the risk of injury is exacerbated by aspects of bus design. It was found that the bus stairwell and horizontal seatback handles are particularly hazardous.

The researchers also recommend that bus drivers should receive additional training to highlight the risks for standing passengers caused by excessive braking and acceleration.

Dr Ciaran Simms of the TCD Centre for Bioengineering, which carried out out the research, told
irishhealth.com that the study showed a particular risk of injury from contact with horizontal handrails on seats, which provide an easy target for the head to hit, and from leg contact with the lower edges of seats.

He said passengers should be discouraged where possible from standing in the aisles and immediately behind the stairwell on a bus to prevent injuries. Where possible, passengers should stand in designated standing areas.

The study showed a risk to passengers from hitting their heads off the stairwell wall on buses.

Dr Simms said the study recommends that horizontal seat handles be replaced by vertical handrails and also recommends that less stiff rubber be used on bus floor surfaces in order to minimise the risk of falling.

The researchers recommend that bus driver training should include mandatory viewing of videos showing the injury risks to passengers from harsh acceleration and braking.

Dr Simms said the research recommendations should be considered by bus companies.

The study, which was carried out by Dr Simms with his colleagues Alejandro Palacio, Giuseppe Tamburro and Desmond O'Neill at TCD, is published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

[Posted: Fri 09/01/2009]