On a national level, pedestrian and bicycle deaths represent nearly 17 percent of all traffic accidents each year. In Washington State alone, there were 50 fatal pedestrian crashes and 11 fatal bicycle accidents in 2013, as published by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. In response to these startlingly high numbers, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, has invited mayors across America to participate in a challenge to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Seven Challenges for Mayors in America
A step in the right direction would be to attend the Safe People, Safer Streets Summit that will be held in March of 2015. There, mayors will be given seven different challenges for their cities to improve safety. Starting with gathering data on biking and walking they will then receive and be encouraged to implement information on how to improve streets so that they are pedestrian and cyclist-friendly, according to a United States Department of Transportation January 2015 press release.
The full list of the seven mayors' challenges is below.
• Take a Complete Streets approach
• Identify and address barriers to pedestrian/cyclist safety on streets
• Gather and track biking and walking data
• Use street designs appropriate for pedestrian/cyclist safety
• Complete more ped-bike networks
• Improve walking and cycling safety laws and regulations
• Education and enforce proper road use behavior
In addition to the goals proposed above, mayors will also be provided with resources and tactics for implementing the goals. A resource that you can use right now is our listing of non-bike routes in Washington. Ride safe!
Mayors Plan to Meet Again in 2016
After the March 2015 summit where mayors will learn about bicycle and pedestrian safety and how to implement the best policies, the mayors will have one year to put their practices in action. Then, in March of 2016, the mayors will meet again to review lesson learned, what worked best, how safety can continue to improve, and become leaders in the bike/walk movement.
Speak with a Bellevue Personal Injury Attorney Today
Hopefully, the challenge to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety proposed by Anthony Foxx will significantly reduce the number of traffic fatalities in Bellevue and other parts of the U.S. each year. You can read more about bike crashes in our free eBook Bicycle Accident Secrets Unlocked. If you are in a bicycle or pedestrian accident, though, you may need legal representation to help you recover the compensation you need.
At Max Meyers Law, PLLC, our attorneys are passionate about bicycle and pedestrian safety, and want to help you if you’ve been injured. If you have questions about what our legal team can do for you, call us today at 425-399-7000.
