One of the critical public health challenges related to community
design, particularly transportation planning, is the interaction between
motorized and nonmotorized transportation.
Whether transportation corridors are designed to allow safe uses by cars,
bicyclists, and pedestrians can have a great impact on the number and
extent of injuries that occur along these corridors.
In addition to the direct health benefits of injury prevention, better
transportation design can offer the indirect benefits of safer and more
inviting areas for physical activity, such as walking and biking. Areas
for such activities create a wider selection of nonmotorized
transportation choices, which in turn improves air quality by reducing
transportation-related pollution.
Car Crashes
Car crashes now claim more than 40,000 lives each year in the United
States, a number that has slowly declined from about 50,000 per year over
the last four decades. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death
among people 1-34 years of age, accounting for 3.4 million nonfatal injuries
annually, and costing an estimated $200 billion. Rates of automobile
fatalities and injuries per driver and per mile driven have decreased
substantially, because of safer cars and roads, laws that discourage drunk
driving, and other measures, but the absolute toll of automobile crashes
remains high. Planning land use strategies that reduce reliance on the
automobile, while creating safe places for biking and walking, could help
further reduce car crashes and increase physical activity.
Bicycles and Pedestrians
In the year 2005, 784 cyclists and 4,881 pedestrians were killed in
traffic crashes within the United States. Currently, many Americans view
bicycling and walking within their communities as unsafe because of the lack of
sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle paths, as well as the presence of environmental
barriers.
A report to the President from the Department of Health and Human Services
and the Department of Education (2000) included an objective to--
"Enable communities to develop and promote the use of safe, well-maintained, and close-to-home sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle paths, trails, parks, recreational facilities, and community designs featuring mixed-use development and a connected grid of streets."
Encouraging the development of such features within a community could
greatly improve the safety, physical health, and mental health of the
people living within that community.
For more information about unintentional injury involving automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians, refer to the following resources:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc)
NCIPC prevents death and disability from nonoccupational injuries,
including those that are unintentional and those that result from
violence.
National Bicycle Safety Network (NBSN)
(http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/network/)
In co-leadership with CDC, the National Bicycle Safety Network (NBSN) was established to define
an agenda for enhancing bicycle safety. NBSN strives to reduce the number of bicycle injuries by
promoting bicycle safety through public education, information sharing, and appropriate
environmental changes.
National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety
(http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/bicycle_safety/)
Report written in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the Federal Highway Administration. Includes goals,
strategies, and short-term and long-term actions that can be taken to reduce
injury and mortality associated with bicycle-related incidents.
National Strategies for Advancing Child Pedestrian Safety
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pedestrian/contents.htm)
The mission of the National Strategies for Advancing Child Pedestrian
Safety is to enhance the well-being and safety of children by reducing
their risk of injury while walking, increasing their physical activity
level, and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment.
Additional information on injury prevention and related topics can be
found in the Additional Resources section.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Achievements in public health, 1990-1999
motor
vehicle safety: A 20th century public health achievement. MMWR 1999;48:369-74. Available from URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4818a1.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based injury statistics
query and reporting
system (WISQARS). Available from URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic safety facts
2005. A compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the fatality
analysis reporting system and the general estimates system. DOT HS
810 631. Washington: NHTSA; 2006.
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