Every year, resources are poured into counting and preventing pedestrian deaths. But because parking lots and driveways are classified as private property, fatal crashes involving people walking in these spaces are excluded from the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System. In 2021, that amounted to hundreds of people who died in off-street crashes. To state and local DOTs, the message is that these deaths don’t count toward the metrics that drive funding, planning, or design priorities, so the crashes themselves don’t need to be a priority either. The result is a system that is blind to about one in eight pedestrian deaths.
safety
Curbing our car enthusiasm: Streets designed for people
When we design streets primarily for people – recognizing instincts like how long someone will wait for a walk signal or where they’ll stand before crossing – small, affordable changes can make behavior more predictable and streets demonstrably safer for everyone. By shifting the focus away from cars and toward human-centered design, such as clear sightlines, comfortable waiting spaces, and safer crossing opportunities, we remove the need for people to dangerously negotiate vehicle-dominated systems to stay safe.
People cross the street where it makes sense
A new study out of Milwaukee highlights a major blind spot in how we approach safety for people on foot. People don’t only cross at intersections; midblock crossings are more common than transportation agencies typically measure and plan for. About one in six crossings in the study happened midblock, sometimes more often than at intersections themselves. This behavior is predictable, widespread, and largely missing in how we design our streets.
Roads less traveled: the safety surprises of big cities
The most effective way to stay safe on city streets is remarkably simple: drive less. A new report from StreetLight Data suggests that the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is the single most important factor in determining how safe a city’s streets are for everyone. Risk is not solely caused by bad drivers; daily driving habits and city layouts play a significant role as well. With U.S. crashes resulting in 2.4 million injuries or deaths in 2023, one of the best safety strategies for planners and engineers is to help people spend less time behind the wheel of a car by making walking, biking, and transit easier to use.
More states are moving away from the 85th percentile rule to set speeds
States are increasingly moving past the outdated “85th percentile rule” for setting speed limits, weighing factors other than the observed traffic flow in those calculations. The AP recently highlighted Ohio among a wave of efforts to consider roadway context and the presence of walkers and bikers in allowing lower speeds to ensure safer roads. For states looking to follow suit, a newly released report from the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety offers states a data-driven, objective framework to set speed limits based on roadway context, not just vehicle movement.
Low-stress roads and bike lanes improve safety, not just comfort
Low stress roads make biking more comfortable, especially for people who are more risk-averse. But do they make biking safer? A new study suggests they do, countering concerns from some transportation officials that these facilities might encourage unsafe riding.
Complex urban streets encourage safer driving
Reducing excessive speeding is one of the most effective ways to improve road safety—especially where people are walking or biking. While lowering speed limits and adding traffic calming measures help, growing research highlights the value of self-explaining streets that give drivers constant cues to slow down.
Congestion pricing could be the only path to managing gridlock
Transportation agencies in the U.S. spend billions of dollars each year expanding highways to ease gridlock. Yet commute times have increased 20% over the last 50 years and traffic congestion is still worsening, according to a several reports. New research confirms congestion pricing may be the best path toward any kind of relief. New York’s program, which launched in January amid plenty of controversy, looks like a promising example.
Involving walkers and bikers in design can make streets safer
Including road users in a participatory “co-design” process can result in better safety interventions than those made by professional engineers alone, according to a new study. Participatory design incorporates the needs and views of end-users of what’s being designed—in this case, pedestrian crossings used by workers and students.
SSTI Annual Meeting Highlights: Transportation leaders tackle cultural change and sustainability
Top officials from 14 state DOTs gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month for SSTI’s annual meeting, where they shared innovative ideas through roundtable discussions, tours, and informal networking. These connections help officials bring solutions back to their home states.