"The implication of the term suggests an inherent weakness or deficiency on the part of the road user labeled as vulnerable and this may limit consideration of other factors that may have caused their increase in risk exposure, such as the behavior of other road users or poor infrastructure."
@kirbyglover i have died on this exact hill in internal conversations multiple times, and to see someone publish it is tremendously vindicating
(SF)
@bikepedantic It does seem pretty dystopian that merely existing as a human in public means you are "vulnerable", with the implication that to be a normal road user you have to buy the extra Metal Box DLC to go out in public
@sanae "I'm gonna go use the road in a vulnerable fashion to pick up a quart of milk, back in a minute!"
@bikepedantic Pesky Out-of-armor Occupants of Public Space
@bikepedantic Fragile Ego Encasement
Do you have a preferred way of describing VRUs?
@owen people walking and biking
@bikepedantic mm sure.
I was thinking of something describes the power and responsibility differences between users.
@owen @bikepedantic traffic Engineers should refer to drivers as patsies and everyone else as just victims.
🤣🤣🤣
I was thinking it maybe makes more sense to use a description that's focused on drivers -- normalizing everyone else and distinguishing drivers. Something like "accountable users"
@owen it works when describing that particular aspect of mixing people in public space.
but it's increasingly being used generally, like a replacement for "alternative transportation."
@bikepedantic
I'm all for getting DRU* into circulation.
*dangerous road user
@bikepedantic I like this article, the phase had seemed weird to me and I couldn't pinpoint why before. One question though: elderly drivers are more likely to die in a crash - in my non expert view - these are also vulnerable road users. Do they actually not fall into that group officially?
@inliuofjoan great question! So there are actually differing definitions of “VRU” in statutes. Older definitions included motorcyclists and may have included older drivers as well. I should check! More recent one that I deal with in FHWA relevant statute is just peds/bikes/scooters/equine
@bikepedantic Fantastic article