THE STATUS OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC SAFETY EFFORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROBLEM AND ITS SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS ARE REVIEWED. PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES COMPOSE ABOUT 18% OF ALL HIGHWAY FATALITIES; IN METROPOLITAN AREAS, MORE THAN HALF THE HIGHWAY FATALITIES ARE PEDESTRIANS. THE NUMBER, CURRENTLY ABOUT 9,800 ANNUALLY, HAS BEEN INCREASING SINCE 1962. TRENDS IN POPULATION GROWTH AND DISTRIBUTION ACCENTUATE THE PROBLEM. TWO AGE GROUPS ACCOUNT FOR OVER HALF THE FATALITIES: THOSE BELOW 15 AND THOSE ABOVE 64. ALOCHOL IS HEAVILY IMPLICATED IN ADULT PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES. ILLUMINATION/VISIBILITY APPEARS TO BE A FACTOR, AND ALSO PEDESTRIANS' UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE DRIVERS' TASK; MANY ADULT VICTIMS ARE NOT LICENSED DRIVERS. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY EFFORTS ARE REVIEWED. THE CONCLUSION IS REACHED THAT THE TOTAL PEDESTRIAN SAFETY EFFORT OF DOT IS FAR BELOW WHAT IS WARRANTED BY THE PROPORTION OF HIGHWAY LOSSES IN THIS CATEGORY: NEARLY A FIFTH OF THE ANNUAL 55,000 FATALITIES. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR INCREASED EFFORTS ON THE PART OF DOT AND FOR COORDINATION OF THE EFFORTS OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES OF DOT. /NTSB/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No NtsB-STS-71-2, 13 PP, 39 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1971-5

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohols; Fatalities; Lighting; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Pedestrians; Safety education; Traffic crashes; Visibility
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223549
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 8 1971 12:00AM