Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrian Safety
EVERYONE IS A PEDESTRIAN…
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to transportation, but there’s one that all road users share—everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrians were one of the few groups of road users to experience an increase in fatalities in the United States in 2015, totaling 5,376 deaths.
“On average, a pedestrian was killed every two hours and injured every seven minutes in traffic crashes. Fourteen percent of all traffic fatalities and an estimated 3 percent of those injured in traffic crashes were pedestrians.” (Traffic Safety Facts: Pedestrians, April 2014) – (PDF 1.20 MB)
Safety is the top priority of the Department of Transportation. In particular, pedestrian and bicyclist safety have been among the Department’s priorities which led to the launch of the U.S. DOT Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative.
U.S. DOT Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative – Under the Department’s leadership and the Safer People, Safer Streets initiative, road safety assessments were conducted in every State, and more than 230 cities have joined the Mayors’ Challenge to improve walking and biking.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) continue to work to raise awareness about the dangers to pedestrians and bicyclists, and to provide leadership, expertise, and resources to communities across America to combat these crashes.
Please join us to reduce traffic safety risks to pedestrians and bicyclists, and to promote programs and countermeasures to save the lives of all road users on our Nation’s roadways.
Visit FHWA’s pedestrian Web pages for additional information.
PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
As a parent or caregiver, you want to do everything in your power to make sure your children and older parents are safe every time they walk out the door. The resources below will help you and your loved ones do just that.
- Everyone Is a Pedestrian!
Whenever you are not in your vehicle, you are a pedestrian! This brochure offers tips for both drivers and pedestrians to stay safe while sharing the road. - Prevent Pedestrian Crashes: Parents and Caregivers of Elementary School Children
Elementary school children are very active and impulsive. Although they are learning and growing, school-age children 10 and younger still need guidance and supervision when playing and walking near traffic. Learn the myths and facts. - Five Tips to Keep Your Children Safe on Their Way To and From School
Strengthen your traffic safety knowledge: Teach and reinforce your children’s pedestrian safety habits. - Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities
Want to improve the walkability of your neighborhood? Learn from the examples of other communities working to improve pedestrian safety. - Walkability Checklist – English | Spanish | Asian Languages
How walkable is your community? Take a walk with your child and find out for yourselves.
- A Kid’s Guide To Safe Walking
This colorful pamphlet will help you teach young children safety tips for crossing the street and things to remember when walking.
- Stepping Out – Mature Adults: Be Healthy, Walk Safely
Share this resource with your aging parents to help them maintain their safety while walking for exercise or running errands. Visit FHWA‘s pedestrian Web pages for additional information.
Did You Know?
- U.S. DOT Safer People, Safer Street Initiative
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has declared pedestrian and bicyclist safety as a top priority for the department. Under his leadership and the Safer People, Safer Streets initiative, road safety assessments were conducted in every State and more than 230 cities have joined the Mayors’ Challenge to improve walking and biking. - Focused Approach to Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
This FHWA strategic approach provides technical assistance to States and cities with the most critical pedestrian and bicycle safety issues and helps them address these issues at their city level. Focus cities have been calculated based on the 20 cities with the largest number of pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities and any city having a population higher than the average of the top 50 cities. NHTSA follows FHWA lead in this focused approach to pedestrian and bicycle safety. - Tips for Preteens & Teens: Prevent Pedestrian Crashes
Walking around traffic requires the same critical thinking skills as riding your bike and driving a car. Apply the same walking skills you learned as a kid: stop, look left-right-left for traffic and be safe, be seen. Use these skills when you walk, and encourage others to do the same. - Traffic Safety Facts – Pedestrians
4,280 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2010, a 4-percent increase from the number reported in 2009. - Traffic Safety Facts – Children
In 2011, an estimated 69,000 pedestrians were injured, 11,000 of those injured were age 14 and younger, and males accounted for 65 percent (7,000) of those 11,000 injured. - Highway Safety Program Guideline No. 14
Each State should develop and implement a comprehensive pedestrian safety program that promotes safe pedestrian practices, and educates drivers to share the road safely with other road users.
Article originally found on NHTSA.org.