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Every October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) celebrates National Pedestrian Safety Month. The personal, physical, and environmental benefits of walking can lead to healthier, quieter, cleaner, and safer streets. Walking can also improve local economies and enhance social and community engagement, which can lead to more vibrant, resilient, and livable spaces.
NHTSA – Pedestrian Safety
In Michigan, 2,026 pedestrians were involved in crashes in 2022, and of those, 173 (8.5%) were killed and 1,566 (77.3%) were injured. Of the 173 pedestrians killed, 53 (30.6%) of the deaths were the result of an alcohol-involved crash and 34 (64.2%) of those pedestrians had been drinking. On average, a pedestrian was injured every 5 hours 36 minutes in traffic crashes in 2022. The Office of Highway Safety Planning has more information on pedestrian safety, including what to do in the event of a roadside emergency using the following link: Pedestrian Safety.
During National Pedestrian Safety Month, NHTSA is strengthening its efforts to improve safety for vulnerable road users by providing this suite of free resources and inviting you to join in helping to create a transportation system for all people to easily and safely walk: Everyone is a Pedestrian | Traffic Safety Marketing.
In January 2021, the U.S. DOT released its National Road Safety Strategy that outlines its Department-wide approach to working with stakeholders to achieve this goal. The strategy also describes the actions that will be taken to make a meaningful difference over the next few years. This strategy's core is a Department-wide adoption of the Safe System Approach, which has been embraced by the transportation community as an effective way to address and mitigate the risks inherent in our enormous and complex transportation system. The Michigan Department of Transportation has a webpage dedicated to this approach, including an educational video: Safe System Approach.
The Safe System Approach works by building and reinforcing multiple layers of protection to both prevent crashes from happening in the first place and minimize the harm caused to those involved when crashes do occur. It is a holistic and comprehensive approach that provides a guiding framework to make places safer for people. This is a shift from a conventional safety approach because it focuses on both human mistakes and human vulnerability, and designs a system with many redundancies in place to protect everyone.
Everyone, including those who plan, design, build, operate, and use our transportation system, shares the responsibility for road safety. We must all work together to prevent and eliminate crashes that result in serious injuries and death on our nation's roadways.