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Pedestrian injuries spike; Senate committee considers an amendment for the safety of all road users
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released traffic fatality and injury numbers for 2010. Overall, the trend in headed in the right direction. The number of motor vehicle traffic fatalities – 32,885 – was the lowest since 1949. Thankfully, there were ten fewer bicyclist fatalities in 2010 than in 2009; but 618 cyclist deaths is still 618 too many.
There was one stunning exception to the downward trend: injuries to pedestrians spiked. The number of pedestrians injured in traffic crashes increased 19 percent, going from 59,000 in 2009 to 70,000 in 2010, according to NHTSA’s data. Meanwhile, pedestrian fatalities increased 4.2 percent. Safer cars and drivers wearing seatbelts may be helping drivers’ safety, but they are little help to a person on foot.
- Photo of an “incomplete street” in Charlotte, NC from the National Complete Streets Coalition website.
With a one year increase of 11,000 pedestrian injuries, it is a good time to consider what can be done to improve road safety for all road users. Senator Begich (D-AK) has introduced an amendment (to S.1950) that would require the Federal Department of Transportation to set safety standards for motorized and non-motorized modes. (A state could write its own safety policy or law to be exempted from the federal standard.) This law would give the US DOT the authority enact a Complete Streets policy and encourage states to implement their own.
The law says the Secretary of Transportation “shall establish standards to ensure that the design of Federal surface transportation projects provides for the safe and adequate accommodation, in all phases of project planning, development, and operation, of all users of the transportation network, including motorized and non-motorized users.” [Emphasis mine.] As stated above, states are granted a waiver if they pass a law of their own that accomplishes the same. The Secretary “shall determine whether the applicable State has achieved compliance with this section,” according to the amendment language.
The Commerce Committee will hear the bill on Wednesday, Dec. 14th at 10:00am. These Senators are on the Committee. You can use our Advocacy Center to send a message to your Senator to urge them to support the Begich amendment to S. 1950 for the SAFETY FOR MOTORIZED AND NONMOTORIZED USERS.
Majority Members
Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV
West Virginia
Senator Daniel K. Inouye
Hawaii
Senator John F. Kerry
Massachusetts
Senator Barbara Boxer
California
Senator Bill Nelson
Florida
Senator Maria Cantwell
Washington
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
New Jersey
Senator Mark Pryor
Arkansas
Senator Claire McCaskill
Missouri
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota
Senator Tom Udall
New Mexico
Senator Mark Warner
Virginia
Senator Mark Begich
Alaska
Minority Members
Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison
Texas
Senator Olympia Snowe
Maine
Senator Jim DeMint
South Carolina
Senator John Thune
South Dakota
Senator Roger Wicker
Mississippi
Senator Johnny Isakson
Georgia
Senator Roy Blunt
Missouri
Senator John Boozman
Arkansas
Senator Patrick J. Toomey
Pennsylvania
Senator Marco Rubio
Florida
Senator Kelly Ayotte
New Hampshire
Senator Dean Heller
Nevada
Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst
Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.
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December 13th, 2011 at 8:52 am
[...] As Pedestrian Deaths Skyrocket, Senate Considers Road Safety Amendment (Bike League) [...]
December 13th, 2011 at 9:45 am
[...] Pedestrian injuries spike; Senate committee considers an amendment for the safety of all road users [...]
December 13th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
An implemented Complete Streets agenda will not correct for injured or fatally injured pedestrians who are distracted by use of a cellphone or their prior consumption of too much alcohol.
Read the report.
December 13th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
I don’t think this bill, if enacted, would make much of a difference. It gives a waiver to any state that has its own Complete Streets-type policy. As we all know, many states have adopted such policies recently, but few are doing anything meaningful towards implementation and some states with policies on the books still actively work to prevent pedestrian and bicycle facilities from being included in highway projects through various means. I don’t see the point in rallying behind another toothless, lip service policy. I wish I could be more optimistic, but I’ve worked in the planning business for too long.
December 13th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
In response to Tom: Drivers also are frequently distracted or drunk and that doesn’t stop DOTs across the country from spending billions building straighter, wider roads in an attempt to protect them from their own stupidity. Many of the engineering dangers to pedestrians – cars traveling at speeds inappopriate to the streets’ context, excessively wide crossings, lack of sidewalks, etc. are unintended consequences of decades of overadjusting for bad driving. Balanced decision making that considered all users – both those who are behaving ideally and those who are not – could have avoided some of those mistakes.
Furthermore, there are many preventable causes of pedestrian fatalities that still *could* be eliminated through engineering alone. Slowing cars down in places where pedestrians are present will reduce deaths for both responsible and irresponsible pedestrians. Allowing adequate crossing time for slower seniors, making pedestrian crossing areas more visible, etc. are all needed improvements which have been ignored because conventional transportation planning has been all about automobiles. There will always be some fatalities, but a cultural change that recognizes the importance of pedestrian travel can reduce fatalities and level the playing field with other road users. That definitely needs to happen, I just don’t see the bill currently under debate as much of a step in any direction.
December 13th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
[...] « Pedestrian injuries spike; Senate committee considers an amendment for the safety of all road users [...]
December 13th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
[...] designed to explain to health professionals “how bikes can save us.” And the Bike League explains that while cycling deaths dropped slightly in 2010, pedestrian deaths jumped alarmingly. [...]
December 14th, 2011 at 11:55 pm
[...] Act Now: Help Improve Blue Ridge Parkway Plan Deadline for Comments is Friday, Dec. 16. The National Park Service has asked for their Draft Management Plan for the Blue Ridge Parkway — planning that will set management policy for the Parkway for the next 20 years, and beyond. Unfortunately, the 684-page document says next to nothing about mountain biking. * Take Action! File your comments today. * Learn more and see sample comments here. Pedestrian injuries spike; Senate committee considers an amendment for the safety of all road users [...]