Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety

The primary purpose of pedestrian and bicyclist research is to reduce injuries and fatalities by better understanding the causes of pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities, by identifying and evaluating potential safety improvement measures, to foster public awareness of pedestrian and bicycle safety matters, and to provide resources for use at the national, State and local levels.

NHTSA 2008 Pedestrian Safety Facts indicate the size of the pedestrian and bicyclist safety problem in the US:

• 4,378 pedestrians, and 716 pedalcyclists were killed in traffic crashes
• 69,000 pedestrians and 52,000 pedalcyclists were injured in traffic crashes
• On average, a pedestrian is killed almost every 2 hours and injured every 8 minutes
• 12 percent of all pedalcyclists killed were between 5 and 15 years old.