1. Introduction
On a yearly basis, pedestrians represent about 4,808 highway fatalities and bicyclists represent about 728 highway fatalities. Statistics suggest that a disproportionate amount of persons killed and injured in traffic crashes are Hispanic immigrants. Census data indicate that the Hispanic population of the United States is growing faster than any other group, and problems with the safety of Hispanics on roadways will only increase as more and more Hispanics immigrate to the United States. In response to this issue, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have initiated a project to develop a marketing plan and outreach materials that promote pedestrian and bicycle safety messages for Hispanic audiences in a format to which Hispanics will respond.
The objectives of this FHWA/NHTSA project include: (1) the development of a plan for marketing pedestrian and bicycle safety issues/concerns to different Hispanic populations in the United States and (2) the development of materials in different formats that will be used to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety issues in the Hispanic community. The first objective is to perform market research to determine what messages are most needed, what is the best way to get the messages out, and who is/are the target audience(s). The purpose of this marketing plan is to delineate the results of the market research so that appropriate materials may be considered for development. The second objective is to develop the outreach materials, to test their effectiveness with the target audience(s), and to mass-produce the products. In addition to other distribution methods, these materials could become part of FHWA's Pedestrian Safety Campaign, which provides a toolbox of outreach materials that State and local organizations can customize to their needs and use. This campaign currently has some materials that are available in Spanish and targeted to Hispanic pedestrian safety.
