WalkSacramento encourages walking for health, recreation and as an alternative form of transportation. It is also one of our primary goals to make walking more safe. On September 13, 1999 pedestrian advocacy groups around the country held memorial activities to mark the 100 year anniversary of the death of a pedestrian by the name of Henry Bliss, the first recorded traffic fatality in North America. It is estimated that 30 million people world wide have been killed in all types of traffic accidents since 1899. Each year an estimated 5,700 pedestrians are killed and 80,000 injured. Check the links below to learn more about pedestrian safety and what can be done to make our streets safer. Also, check our section on Walkable/Livable Communities.
Henry Bliss- An Associated Press story about the 100 year memorial in New York City.
More Pedestrian and Vehicle Statistics- Statistics about pedestrian and vehicle injuries and deaths compiled by WalkSacramento.
What the Law Says- Applicable California Vehicle Codes relating to the rights and duties of pedestrians and motorists.
Caught In The Crosswalk: Pedestrian Safety In California- The 1999 report prepared by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) which shows Sacramento to be the 4th most dangerous city in California for pedestrians.
Good Neighbor Traffic Tips- These driving tips from WalkSacramento can help reduce pedestrian, as well as other traffic injuries and fatalities. They can be downloaded and distributed to drivers in your neighborhood. This is a pdf document and you will need to have Acrobat Reader to view it. You can download Acrobat Reader free from Adobe.
Lighted Crosswalk- Click here to see the details of this innovative crosswalk installed at CSUS for pedestrian safety.
PedSmart- Various Intellegent Transportation System (ITS) technologies for pedestrians are described on this Federal Highway Administration site (read the disclaimer before clicking on "I have read the disclaimer .... to go to the site).
Accessible Pedestrian Signal- Learn about accessible pedestrian signals for visually impaired people from this American Council for the Blind site.
Pedestrian Summit Strategic Plan- Click here to download the Pedestrian Summit Strategic Plan, the final product of the Safe Communities grant project.
The items below relate specifically to child pedestrian safety. They are in pdf format. See the note above.
Child Pedestrian Injuries in the U.S.- A 1990 study describes the scope of the problem and possible interventions.
Blaming Children- Interesting case study describes how we tend to blame the victim in pedestrian and car accidents rather than taking a closer look at the driver and other factors.
Cost Effective Ways to Make Walking Safer for Children and Adolescents- A 1995 article from Injury Prevention discusses methods used in England and other European countries to make walking safer for young people.
Childhood Pedestrian Deaths During Halloween- A 1997 study from the Center for Disease Control also includes the ways children are always limited in their pedestrian skills and not just on halloween.