Pedestrian and cyclist traffic fatalities in the US increased by an estimated 10% from 2014 to 2015 according to a new report. This is the largest single-year increase on record. While more vehicles on the road has contributed to overall traffic fatalities, the rate of fatalities per mile driven also increased 8%, suggesting other contributing factors. As more people walk and cycle for transportation and exercise, the number of pedestrians and cyclists on the road has risen, which experts believe has contributed to the increase in fatalities. Several initiatives have been launched to improve safety, including road design changes, enforcement of traffic laws, and education programs.

1. Pedestrian and Cyclist Traffic
Fatalities Up in 2015
By Floyd Arthur

2. The number of pedestrian
and cyclist traffic fatalities in
the United States rose an

3. estimated 10 percent between
2014 and 2015, according to
the annual Governor’s

4. Highway Safety Association
Spotlight on Highway Safety
Report. The increase is

5. the “largest year-to-year
increase in pedestrian
fatalities since national
records have

6. been kept,” said Richard
Retting, one of the authors of
the report.

7. Pedestrian Accidents

8. Overall traffic fatalities also
increased significantly
during the first half of 2015,
in part

9. because there are more cars
on the road. Experts credit
lower gas prices and an

10. improved economy for that
increase. However, fatalities
per mile driven were also up
8

11. percent during the same
period, which suggests that
other factors are involved.

12. More Pedestrians and
Cyclists On the Road

13. The disturbing trend in
pedestrian and cyclist traffic
fatalities may be due in part
to the

14. fact that more people are
walking and cycling to
benefit their health.
Additionally,

15. according to data from the
Government Accountability
Office, more Americans are
now

16. walking and cycling to
work.

17. In 2005, 3.3 million
Americans said walking was
their primary means of
transportation

18. for getting to work; an
additional 530,000 said they
rode a bicycle. By 2013, those

19. numbers had increased to 4
million and 860,000,
respectively, the GAO says.

20. Somewhat predictably, the
number of pedestrian and
cyclist traffic fatalities is
highest in

21. densely populated urban
areas, with California, New
York, Florida and Texas
accounting

22. for about 40 percent of the
total number of deaths.
However, as of 2014, the
actual rate

23. of fatalities by population
was highest in New Mexico,
Florida, Delaware, Nevada,

24. Louisiana, South Carolina
and Arizona, says the GHSA.

25. Which Pedestrians and Are
Involved?

26. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
is responsible for monitoring
traffic

27. fatalities in the United States,
but recent data regarding
pedestrians and cyclist traffic

28. fatalities is scarce. What facts
are available, however, point
to some parallels between

29. the characteristics of fatal
traffic accidents involving
pedestrians and cyclists and
those

30. involving only automobiles.
For example:

31. * Nearly 70 percent of
pedestrian fatalities are male

32. * Most deaths occur in the
evening and night time hours

33. * Thirty percent of
pedestrians and 20 percent of
cyclists killed had a blood
alcohol level

34. above 0.08 -- which meets the
definition of “alcohol-
impaired” in all 50 states.

35. * In 2011, 11,000 of the
69,000 pedestrians killed in a
traffic accident were children
under the age of 14.

36. What Is being Done to
Reduce Pedestrian and
Cyclist Traffic Fatalities?

37. In the fall of 2014, the U.S.
Department of
Transportation, in
collaboration with state

38. and local authorities, began a
nationwide program of
pedestrian and cyclist safety

39. assessment in every state.
Additionally, the Federal
Highway Administration
began

40. providing technical
assistance to cities with the
largest number of pedestrian
and cyclist

41. traffic fatalities in an attempt
to develop standardized
practices designed to make
streets and roadways safe.

42. Additionally, 14 cities in the
United States have joined the
Vision Zero initiative, a

43. multinational program that
began in Sweden in 1997
with the goal of preventing
100

44. percent of traffic-related
deaths. Based on the
principle that human beings
are fallible,

45. and traffic systems should
minimize both the
opportunities for errors and
the harm

46. done when they occur, Vision
Zero programs are
addressing every aspect of
pedestrian and cyclist safety,
including:

47. * Lowering speed limits in
areas where motor vehicles
and pedestrians intersect

48. * Improved road design

49. * Enhanced enforcement of
existing traffic laws

50. * Targeted education and
training

51. * Identifying areas in large
cities where pedestrian and
cyclist traffic fatalities most
often occur

52. The NHTSA has also
produced a number of
educational brochures
designed specifically

53. for teenagers, school-aged
children and older adults. It
has also issued a statement

54. urging all pedestrians,
cyclists and motorists to pay
attention to their
surroundings at all times.

55. Keeping everyone safe on
our roadways is an important
responsibility that every

56. American shares. And
keeping your family safe is
your most important job. At
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57. Group, we provide a full
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58. automobiles that help you
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59. schedule your insurance
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60. we will get back to you
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