Increasing use of inline skates within the area of public highways has strengthened the discussion as to whether their official categorisation within the framework of traffic law as a "special means of locomotion" allocated to pedestrian areas continues to be appropriate. By means of accident analyses, headcounts, observation of behaviour and questionnaires it was intended to evaluate the effects of the use of skates on traffic safety and to draw conclusions as to whether new regulations should be introduced.

The results show that skates only appear in very individual cases on public highways when larger areas are taken into consideration and that their use is concentrated on individual stretches which are particularly relevant for leisure purposes. On main traffic routes, skaters generally travel on the pavements alongside the road and often use cycle tracks, but hardly use the road carriageways. However, in 30-mile-an-hour speed limit zones, skaters generally use the carriageways themselves.

In accordance with the generally low occurrence of skaters, the number of accidents is low in comparison with those involving pedestrian or cycle traffic. In addition to accidents which only affect the skater him- or herself, where a high number of unreported accidents can also be expected, accidents with motor vehicles predominate, - occurring in particular when crossing road carriageways, but also when travelling along roads in the direction of the traffic. Skaters are at greater risk when actually on the road carriageway than when they travel on a pavement or to the side of the road. According to the accidents which have been recorded and also to information from questionnaires, compatibility with cycle traffic is still lower than with pedestrian traffic. Particularly obvious is the low level of protective clothing, particularly in the case of children and young people.

From the results of the investigation the conclusion is drawn that the official categorisation of skates as "special means of locomotion" within the framework of traffic law should be maintained, but that approval should be given for skaters to use cycle tracks in individual cases. In addition, efforts should be made to increase traffic safety by offering suitable traffic facilities to skaters as well as by undertaking public relations work aimed specifically at the target group.

A comprehensive volume of annexes is included with the original report. It contains additional evaluations and tabular presentations referring to the results of the accident analysis and also the questionnaires which were used in the course of the investigation. These annexes are not included in the present publication. They are available and can be viewed at the Federal Highway Research Institute. References to the annexes contained in the body of the report have been retained.