Pedestrian And Traffic Safety

As the percentage of pedestrian versus vehicle accidents continues to rise in many areas, crosswalk safety is at the forefront of concern in traffic safety circles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, the most recent statistics released in 2003 for pedestrian deaths at crosswalks are astounding. Of those killed at a crosswalk, 16% of them were elderly individuals, 2% percent of all fatalities involving traffic vehicles were pedestrians in general, and the FHWA, or Federal Highway Administration, has announced that crossroads safety is the most high-risk area of transportation and sits at the top of the list as an area of concern.

Safety is something extremely difficult and of utmost importance to achieve when intersections are involved. These planned points of traffic conflict serve as one of the top traffic risks on the road today. Individuals are required to make complex distance and speed judgments under time constraints. Of the multitude of deaths that have occurred over the past decade, around 22% to 23% of them occurred at an intersection.

Causes for intersection deaths are behaviors that more than 90% of drivers do. Some even admit that they perform these actions on a regular basis. They include distraction from electronic devices such as cell phones, GPSs, CD players, and laptop computers, running red lights, ignoring stop signs, and being in a general rush. Shockingly, these actions account for more of the deaths at intersections than do situations arising from the utilizing of alcohol and/or drugs.

Pedestrian safety for children is no exception with an average of 11 people killed in accidents involving school buses each year. Although these figures are small when compared to the overall school transportation, they do reflect a troubling reality. Commercial traffic products along with education are vital to reducing these numbers.

Local cities and towns as well as the whole nation have a strong interest in creating school zones and walkways that are safe for pedestrians. Pedestrian safety for children, as well as in general for crosswalk safety, requires a combined effort by private manufacturers that produce traffic safety products as well as the communities with an interest in safely protecting their citizens.

By: Morgan Ambrose

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

We provide superior pedestrian protection with a full line of customizable and highly visible pedestrian safety systems that provide durability and performance as well as enhanced conspicuity for crosswalks.