Overview
Bicycles play an increasingly important role in our Nation's overall transportation system. Yet, in many communities, bicyclists feel squeezed out of the traffic mix, and many bike riders complain of high stress levels as they travel along the roadway. The source of this stress is well documented. U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show that more than 8,000 bicyclists died and 700,000 were injured in motor vehicle-related crashes in the past decade. More than one-third of all bicycle fatalities involve riders 5 to 20 years old, and 41 percent of nonfatal injuries occur to children under the age of 15. The need for safe, convenient, and attractive facilities to encourage safe biking is essential. And now there's a resource designed to make it easier for the bicycle safety practitioner and advocate to locate and acquire the most appropriate resource to meet their particular planning, design, and operation need for bicycle facilities. It's the Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Resource Kit, developed by the FHWA.
For additional information on bicycle crashes see 2003 Pedalcyclists Traffic Safety Facts - NHTSA - [PDF, 57 KB]
This site provides engineering guidance for designing communities to ensure bicycle safety. In addition, FHWA has produced a number of community and road user resources to improve the level of bicycle knowledge for all road users and to assist communities in improving bicycle safety.
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