More Americans are bicycling or walking to work these days, getting healthy exercise and doing their bit to reduce traffic and air pollution. But with little government investment in safety measures, such as protected bike lanes and sidewalks, more cyclists and pedestrians also are getting killed.
Preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a 7.7 percent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014.
Pedestrians and bicyclists far safer there than in U.S.
April 28, 2016
Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Oslo, Norway face many of the same challenges as cities in the United States, including: rapid growth, urbanization, congestion, climate change and increased freight traffic yet on a recent visit there, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx navigated city streets safely on a bicycle.
Concern over a five-year, 19-percent increase in pedestrian fatalities has caused the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to put together a Pedestrian Safety Forum that will take place on May 10, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $1.1 million grant to the State of Louisiana to increase safety at railroad crossings along six miles of Kansas City Southern tracks from North Street to Louise Street in Baton Rouge.
Backing incidents can account for up to half of all reportable fleet incidents. Virtually all backing collisions are preventable though. We drive in reverse only a fraction of the distance that we go in the forward direction yet it seems that backing in a serious problem in most fleets.
With the start of a new school year fast approaching, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reminds all drivers, students and parents to put safety first in school zones and near bus stops.
In the past five years, 59 people have been struck by falling debris from New York City construction sites, according to the New York Post. And the numbers are on the rise: 27 percent of those pedestrians were victimized between January and September in 2014.
Planning to vacation in the Big Apple this summer? You might want to give yourself a safety briefing before taking to the streets. The Village Voice recently listed hazardous situations regularly encountered in the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps.
