October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. To celebrate this safety awareness month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging drivers to slow down and be alert for pedestrians. Walking should always be an easy and safe option for getting around any community.
Everyone shares in the responsibility for road safety. The NHTSA urges communities to adopt the Safe System Approach, which is a comprehensive plan that helps prevent crashes from happening and minimizes the injury to those involved in crashes that do occur. Sain Associates is currently assisting multiple municipalities with the creation of Safety Action Plans that follow this framework. The Safe System Approach has five objectives:
- Safer People: Encourage safe, responsible behavior by people who use roads, and create conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed.
- Safer Speeds: Promote safer speeds in all roadway environments through a combination of thoughtful, equitable, context-appropriate roadway design, appropriate speed-limit setting, targeted education, outreach campaigns, and enforcement.
- Safer Roads: Design roadway environments to mitigate human mistakes and account for injury tolerances, to encourage safer behaviors, and to facilitate safe travel by the most vulnerable users.
- Safer Vehicles: Expand the availability of vehicle technology that helps to prevent crashes and minimize the impact of crashes on both occupants and non-occupants.
- Post-Crash Care: Enhance the survivability of people in crashes through expedient access to emergency medical care. Create a safer working environment for first responders and prevent crashes through traffic incident management practices.
The personal, physical, and environmental benefits of walking can lead to safer, healthier, and cleaner streets. Walking can also improve local economies and enhance social and community engagement, which can lead to more vibrant, resilient, and livable spaces. At Sain, we design our projects to maximize pedestrian safety by ensuring ADA compliance, implementing sidewalks and crosswalks in our communities, and advocating for safe, distraction free driving.
For more information about pedestrian safety, please visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/pedestrian-safety.