[Profile of aged traffic victims on the road to Sherbrooke (Quebec)]

This article draws a portrait of the victims, 65 years of age and over, of road accidents in a mid-size Quebec town. By examining four variables--age, sex, condition of the victims and the type of road users--we measured the magnitude and severity of road accident injuries in senior citizens, and identified those road users most at risk. Results indicate that, in the city of Sherbrooke as elsewhere in Quebec, road accident injuries are increasing slowly but constantly in this age group. Analysis of the severity of injuries and of the category of road users, shows that senior citizens have a high degree of vulnerability and are over-represented in statistics dealing with pedestrians who are victims of accidents. We discuss these results and their impact on public health.