In a bid to prevent fall-related accidents and injuries, scientists on behalf of the U.K.’s Sustainable, Accessible, Safe, Resilient and Smart Urban Pavements (SAFER) project are conducting trials of pavement composed of tire scrap on roadways in Sweden.

The impact-absorbing roadways, which are composed of 60% ground tire scrap mixed with rocks and held together with tarry bitumen, will reportedly reduce injuries, particularly those sustained by the elderly who often slip and fall on traditional pavement. Such injuries can even result in fatalities, according to the scientists with reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggesting that falls are the second leading cause of accidental deaths globally among adults age 65 and older.

The SAFER team of scientists recommends adding layers of the tire-scrap reinforced pavement to existing roadways and bicycle lanes in layers 4 cm to 8 cm thick to improve the pavement’s impact absorption properties.

In addition to preventing fall-related injuries, the researchers also suggest that the tire-scrap reinforced roadways might improve the over-all health of people, particularly seniors, encouraging them to take more walks or to ride bikes on safer terrain.

With few possibilities for recycling automotive tire material at the end of its lifecycle, tires are often landfilled. However, recent research suggests that tire scrap can be a value-added material for a number of industries including as building material in construction applications and as an aerogel used in automotive design applications.

Take a look at how civil engineers repurpose the material in The Civil Engineer’s Love Affair with Tire Scrap on Engineering360.