Better laws and better enforcement attributed to drop in pedestrian injuries.
-> According to a Dec. 13th Northjersey.com article, "Male pedestrians in New Jersey are more likely to be struck and killed by a vehicle than females and while young pedestrians are involved in more of those accidents, they are less likely to die, according to a study of incidents over eight years. The 2011 Pedestrian Safety Tracking Report was conducted by the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University and submitted this month to the state Transportation Department. The study analyzed police data for the years 2003 through 2010. It looked at accidents in which a pedestrian died or was injured -- not reports that resulted only in property damage.""The report found there were 1,003 pedestrian fatalities due to being struck by vehicles, about 125 per year, across the state, 40,150 pedestrians were injured during the eight years. Most pedestrian deaths from crashes occurred on state highways, followed by county roads, then municipal roads. Among the state's largest cities, Paterson ranked third in average pedestrian-vehicle accidents per 100,000 people. The report also found that accidents resulting in injury declined between 2008 and 2010, the period during which vehicle miles traveled also dropped."
"Charles Brown, senior research specialist at Voorhees, attributes the drop to the state's crosswalk law that requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, as well as infrastructure improvements, and a more educated public. Brown said police departments around the state have carried out stings in which they pull over motorists who drive through a crosswalk while a pedestrian is still in the street, and talk to them about the law. 'We target locations where there are high incidents,' he said..."
Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/rvaOAz">http://bit.ly/rvaOAz</a>;
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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[B" Spokes: Note filed under News you will not see in Maryland.]
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