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September \| October 2003 Volume 77 Issue 5

AAA Commentary

Working toward safer roadways
for pedestrians and wildlife

For many drivers, roadway safety encompasses issues such as traffic congestion, construction detours and highway debris. A new report sheds light on two less-discussed aspects of safety: pedestrians and wildlife.

Keeping pedestrians safer
It might surprise many people that every 108 minutes a pedestrian is killed on U.S. roadways. Older pedestrians—ages 70 and older—accounted for 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in 2001. On the opposite end of the spectrum, more than one-fifth of all children between the ages of 5 and 9 years old killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

The new report, released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, provides valuable insight into pedestrian safety. From 1975 to 2001, nearly 175,000 pedestrians died in motor-vehicle accidents, with 162,000 pedestrians perishing in single-vehicle accidents. This report also examines possible causes for pedestrian fatalities that involved a single motor vehicle.

Not surprisingly, alcohol plays a significant role in many pedestrian deaths. The report points out that while more than half of pedestrian-related crashes involved alcohol, pedestrians in such accidents were twice as likely to be under the influence of alcohol as the drivers. The majority of these pedes-trian fatalities occurred during nighttime hours, usually from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and 69 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred in urban areas.

For more than a century, AAA has worked to improve safety for all road users. From policy efforts to educational programs, such as AAA's School Safety Patrol, AAA has been a proponent of pedestrian safety. Recently, AAA has been an outspoken advocate for prioritizing safety in the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). AAA identified several areas where efforts and funding can be used to improve intersections, reduce high-risk driving and protect vulnerable populations, such as seniors and children. The funding levels established in TEA-21 are critical to improving U.S. roadways, thereby protecting pedestrians and motorists alike.

Reducing wildlife fatalities
Roadkill has been the subject of jokes and songs for as long as motorists have shared the road with wildlife. But protecting animals on America's roadways is a very serious issue that also impacts the safety of motorists. According to the Wildlife Society, more than 200 motorists are killed and thousands more are injured annually in animal-vehicle collisions. The insurance industry estimates that the annual cost to society for these fatalities and injuries is $200 million.

In an effort to identify solutions to help protect wildlife and reduce animal-related collisions, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched a new website that serves as a clearinghouse on wildlife protection practices. The site serves as a means for sharing best practices within the transportation community as well as a place where the public can learn how to safely share the road with wildlife.

The site, "Keeping it Simple: easy ways to help wildlife along roads," can be accessed at www.fhwa.dot. gov/environment/wildlifeprotection. This wildlife project can be searched by state or by one of four categories: Along Roads, On or Near Bridges, On or Along Waterways, or On Wetlands and Uplands.

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