THE number of motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians being injured or killed on Bolton's roads is on the increase, according to the latest figures.

There were 245 casualties compared with 192 in 2000, making up almost a third of all those injured in traffic accidents.

Millions of pounds are being spent every year making cars and roads safer for motorists but what is being done to safeguard pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists?

For many years, the Transport Research Laboratory has been looking at ways to make cars and roads safer for drivers.

However, the dedicated team of researchers do not just focus on motor vehicles alone.

The cost of the motorcycle accidents to the Government and hence the taxpayer is a substantial annual bill of more than one billion pounds.

As a result, the TRL is continually looking at new ways to reduce the number of accidents and the severity of injuries.

As well as studying and reconstructing real crash scenes, the lab looks at the behaviour patterns and attitudes of drivers, motorcyclists and pedestrians in an effort to gain a better understanding of how the two interact.

With the increased use of mobile phones, navigation systems and car entertainment, drivers can become more easily distracted.

Pedestrians and cyclists must also share part of the blame in many accidents.

Some cyclists pull out without looking or signalling what they are going to do while many people often step off the kerb into the path of oncoming traffic.

Despite good protection afforded by modern helmets, studies have shown more than 70 per cent of motorcyclists in crashes suffer fatal head injuries.

The TRL is carrying out extensive research into ways of improving helmets and is looking at developing one made of carbon fibre which will offer improved head protection and absorb twice the impact.

Researchers have also tested a range of car airbags fitted experimentally to motorcycles but, while the idea was right, they were found to be inappropriate.

Instead, they are trying to develop an airbag system specifically for a motorcycle and so far, the results show that it is performing well and does have the potential to reduce head injuries substantially.

The lab is also looking at special jackets which inflate on impact, protecting both the motorcyclist's chest and thorax.

Some tests have already been carried out and the concept shows potential.

Pedestrians and pedal cyclists are particularly vulnerable to injury in road accidents.

The TRL has been looking at the effectiveness of cycle lanes, stop lines at traffic lights, modifying roundabouts to 'continental' design, and greater consideration of cyclists in traffic management schemes.

Research has also shown the injury risk in an accident can be reduced by softening the pedestrian's impact with the car. A child is impacted typically as a complete body especially by cars with a high bonnet while adults are more often hit on the head by the bonnet and the bumper.

Car design can reduce the severity of injuries to pedestrians and a programme is being carried to develop a safety rating of vehicles for consumers.

The TRL has also been looking at the concept of pedestrian airbags on the outside of vehicles, using sensors which can detect an impending accident.

A spokesman for Bolton Council's safety unit said the authority always took other road users, not just motorists, into account when putting together its strategies.

He said: "We are now installing puffins rather than pelican crossings because they can detect the presence of pedestrians and look at demand rather than just allocating a specific length of time for people to cross the road."

He added that the majority of traffic lights in Bolton were fitted with pedestrian facilities including special bumpy paving and rotating cones.

"The little cone spins round when the lights are on red so people with partial sighting will know it is safe to cross.

"We also investigate requests from people who are concerned about specific locations.

"The council has also recently installed traffic calming measures across Bolton which benefit vulnerable road users as well as reducing the speed of cars and therefore the chance of accidents.

"More cycle lanes and advanced stop lines at traffic lights have been installed in Bolton in recent years."

The authority also runs a road safety training programme for schoolchildren and young pedal cyclists and has created a post for a child pedestrian training co-ordinator.

Inspector Duncan Grundy, head of Bolton traffic unit, said that while the police can make recommendations about road safety issues, the council can only work within a limited budget.

"In an ideal world there would be crossings on every street for pedestrians but then again, would they use them?

"Often it takes an elderly person five minutes to walk the 50 yards to the crossing so they choose not to use them and if a car is travelling at 45mph and the driver is distracted, it cannot stop in time.

"Although in many cases, motorcyclists have been found to be to blame in crashes, there are occasions when drivers have lost control because of a total lack of attention.

"If they reduced the speed from 45mph to 30mph, when someone steps in front of them, they would be able to slow down and the scale of injury would not be as great."