Pedestrian injuries spike; Senate committee considers an amendment for the safety of all road users

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released traffic fatality and injury numbers for 2010. Overall, the trend in headed in the right direction. The number of motor vehicle traffic fatalities – 32,885 – was the lowest since 1949. Thankfully, there were ten fewer bicyclist fatalities in 2010 than in 2009; but 618 cyclist deaths is still 618 too many.

There was one stunning exception to the downward trend: injuries to pedestrians spiked. The number of pedestrians injured in traffic crashes increased 19 percent, going from 59,000 in 2009 to 70,000 in 2010, according to NHTSA’s data. Meanwhile, pedestrian fatalities increased 4.2 percent.  Safer cars and drivers wearing seatbelts may be helping drivers’ safety, but they are little help to a person on foot.

With a one year increase of 11,000 pedestrian injuries, it is a good time to consider what can be done to improve road safety for all road users. Senator Begich (D-AK) has introduced an amendment (to S.1950) that would require the Federal Department of Transportation to set safety standards for motorized and non-motorized modes.  (A state could write its own safety policy or law to be exempted from the federal standard.) This law would give the US DOT the authority enact a Complete Streets policy and encourage states to implement their own.

The law says the Secretary of Transportation “shall establish standards to ensure that the design of Federal surface transportation projects provides for the safe and adequate accommodation, in all phases of project planning, development, and operation, of all users of the transportation network, including motorized and non-motorized users.” [Emphasis mine.] As stated above, states are granted a waiver if they pass a law of their own that accomplishes the same. The Secretary “shall determine whether the applicable State has achieved compliance with this section,” according to the amendment language.

The Commerce Committee will hear the bill on Wednesday, Dec. 14^th at 10:00am.  These Senators are on the Committee. You can use our Advocacy Center to send a message to your Senator to urge them to support the Begich amendment to S. 1950 for the SAFETY FOR MOTORIZED AND NONMOTORIZED USERS.

Majority Members

Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV
West Virginia

Senator Daniel K. Inouye
Hawaii

Senator John F. Kerry
Massachusetts

Senator Barbara Boxer
California

Senator Bill Nelson
Florida

Senator Maria Cantwell
Washington

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg
New Jersey

Senator Mark Pryor
Arkansas

Senator Claire McCaskill
Missouri

Senator Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota

Senator Tom Udall
New Mexico

Senator Mark Warner
Virginia

Senator Mark Begich
Alaska

Minority Members

Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison
Texas

Senator Olympia Snowe
Maine

Senator Jim DeMint
South Carolina

Senator John Thune
South Dakota

Senator Roger Wicker
Mississippi

Senator Johnny Isakson
Georgia

Senator Roy Blunt
Missouri

Senator John Boozman
Arkansas

Senator Patrick J. Toomey
Pennsylvania

Senator Marco Rubio
Florida

Senator Kelly Ayotte
New Hampshire

Senator Dean Heller
Nevada