Improve Walking and Biking Safety Laws and Regulations
Take steps to protect all road users such as improving the rules on safe passing, turning, or yielding, bicyclists who ride unlawfully, or pedestrians who unlawfully cross or walk in the roadways. Strengthening codes, ordinances, and practices can help to protect non-motorized users. Consider adopting or improving laws related to failure to yield, safe passing, bike lighting requirements, distracted driving, and bicycle helmet use. Also consider vulnerable user laws as well as pedestrian and bicycle land use oriented codes and lowered speed limits. Ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ideal local ordinances clarifies and promotes safe road uses, allow for shared or designated and proper road use by all, clearly outlines consequences for harmful traffic violations, and promotes cooperation and commitment to follow the rules. Codes should consider how development relates to the context of the surrounding community.
What can we do to improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations?
- Develop or engage a multidisciplinary coalition or task force to review and identify gaps, loopholes, or deficiencies in local ordinances, codes, and practices
- Develop and implement plan to address identified gaps, loopholes, or deficiencies in local ordinances, codes, and practices designed to address pedestrian, bicyclist, and assistive mobility device user safety
What information is available to help improve walking and biking safety laws and regulations?
U.S. DOT Resources
- NHTSA
What resources are on the horizon?
U.S. DOT Resources
- NHTSA
- Countermeasures that Work (Update)