Bollards and rubber curbs that prevent drivers from cutting across intersections at a diagonal can make streets safer for pedestrians, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Several major cities in the USA, such as New York, are laudably working towards the same immensely important target, known as ‘Vision Zero’.
This 3-stage pedestrian crossing in Oslo goes over four lanes of traffic and tram lines, plus a bus lane, and has two safety islands to break it all up into manageable sections. (Copyright image, 2019. All rights reserved.)
A new report from GHSA predicts that 6,590 pedestrian fatalities occurred in 2019, the highest number in more than 30 years. (Figures by state, below.)
Even though states do vary somewhat in what they require from drivers when there is a static vehicle on the highway shoulder, a reasonable driver knows they should always:
Volvo Cars today calls on governments and regulators around the world to address a large inequality in road safety between developed and developing economies. Despite progress made in recent decades, official data shows a significant gap in the number of traffic fatalities between both categories of countries.
Recently released numbers from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles illustrate how dangerous Florida roads can be for bicyclists…
Bicyclists among other vehicles (Copyright image, 2018.)
According to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten (translation here), in 1975, 41 people died in traffic crashes in Oslo, but in 2019 only one person, a car driver, suffered that fate. And the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed in the city in 2019? …… Zero!
A large proportion of Oslo’s city streets are limited to 30kmh (19mph), main rural roads are 60kmh (37mph) and between cities, most of the divided highways have a limit of just 90kmh (56mph), although a few are 110kmh (69mph). So much for the facile argument that lowered speed limits don’t help save lives! (Copyright image, 2019. All rights reserved.)
The video in the attached article from Wink News hits the nail squarely on the head in an opening comment: “Troopers are working to keep you safe on a dangerous stretch of roadway in Fort Myers…”
Whether it was planned or accidental, the TV channel has identified the real rogue in this situation — the dreadful design, in safety terms, of the road itself.
Just yesterday, we posted excerpts and our comments regarding the Road Safety Annual Report 2019, and America’s poor performance by comparison with the vast majority of other developed nations.
This is what? “My pick-up is bigger than your car, so I’m coming across!”? (Copyright image, 2017.)