National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Facts
1
DRIVER EDUCATION AND LICENSING
Each State should address pedestrian and bicycle safety in State driver education training, materials and licensing programs in the classroom and behind the wheel, including strategies for motorists and bicyclists on safely sharing the road.
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Las Vegas should Establish and convene a pedestrian and bicycle safety body to prevent Bike crashes
• Establish and convene a pedestrian and bicycle safety advisory task force or coalition to organize and generate broad-based support for pedestrian and bicycle programs; • Create an effective communications network among coalition members to keep members informed and to coordinate efforts;
3
Local traffic safety injury prevention
• Integrate culturally relevant pedestrian and bicycle safety programs into local traffic safety injury prevention initiatives and local transportation plans; • Provide culturally relevant materials and resources to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety education programs; • Ensure that highway safety in general, and pedestrian and bicycle safety in particular, are included in the State-approved K-12 health and safety education curricula and textbooks, and in material for preschool age children and their caregivers;
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COMMUNICATION PROGRAM
Nevada should ensure that State and community pedestrian and bicycle programs contain a comprehensive communication component to support program : • Visibility, or conspicuity, in the traffic system; • Correct use of facilities and accommodations; • Law enforcement initiatives; • Proper street-crossing behavior; • Safe practices near school buses, including loading and unloading practices; • The nature and extent of traffic-related pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and injuries; • Driver training regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety; • Rules of the road; • Proper selection, use, fit, and maintenance of bicycles and bicycle helmets; • Skills training of bicyclists; • Sharing the road safely among motorists and bicyclists; and
5
Avoiding car bike collishions
Nevada Should should ensure that State and community pedestrian and bicycle programs contain a comprehensive communication component to support program and policy efforts. This component should address coordination with traffic engineering and law enforcement efforts, school-based education programs, communication and awareness campaigns, and other focused educational programs such as those for seniors and other identified high-risk populations. The State should enlist the support of a variety of media, including mass media, to improve public awareness of pedestrian and bicyclist crash problems and programs directed at preventing them. Communication programs and materials should be culturally relevant and multilingual
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HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
Highway and traffic engineering is a critical element of any motor vehicle crash reduction program, but is especially important for the safe movement of pedestrians and bicyclists. States should utilize national guidelines for constructing safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities in all new transportation projects, and are required to follow all Federal regulations on accessibility. Nevada should ensure that State and community pedestrian and bicycle programs include a highway and traffic engineering component that is coordinated with enforcement and educational efforts. This engineering component should improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists through the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of engineering measures .
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Constructing safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities
• Pedestrian, bicycle, and school bus loading zone signals, signs and markings; • Parking regulations; • Traffic-calming or other approaches for slowing traffic and improving safety; • On-road facilities (e.g., signed routes, marked lanes, wide curb lanes, paved shoulders); • Sidewalk design; • Pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps, and paths; • Off-road bicycle facilities (trails and paths); and • Accommodations for people with disabilities.
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LAW ENFORCEMENT
• Developing knowledge of pedestrian and bicyclist crash situations, investigating crashes, and maintaining a reporting system that documents crash activity and supports problem identification and evaluation activities; • Providing communication and education support; • Ensuring adequate training to law enforcement personnel on effective measures to reduce crashes among pedestrians and bicyclists; • Establishing agency policies to support pedestrian and bicycle safety; • Enforcing pedestrian and bicycle laws, and all laws that affect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, including those aimed at aggressive drivers; • Coordinating with and supporting education and engineering activities; and • Suggesting creative strategies to promote safe pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist behaviors (e.g., citation diversion classes for violators).
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AVOID CRASHES
Pedestrian and bicyclist safety requires the support and coordinated activity of multidisciplinary agencies, at both the State and local levels. At a minimum, the following communities should be involved: • State Pedestrian/Bicycle Coordinators; • Law Enforcement and Public Safety; • Education; • Public Health and Medicine; • Driver Education and Licensing; • Transportation—Engineering, Planning, Local Transit; • Media and Communications; • Community Safety Organizations; and • Nonprofit Organizations.
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Pedestrian and Bicycle Danger
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Facts NHTSA 2003 Pedestrian Safety Facts include: * 4,749 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes * 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes * On average, a pedestrian is killed almost every 2 hours and injured every 8 minutes NHTSA 2003 Pedalcyclist Safety Facts include: * 622 pedalcyclists were killed in traffic crashes * 46,000 pedalcyclists were injured in traffic crashes * 23 percent of all pedalcyclists killed were under age 16
