Safety
Streetsblog California
NTSB: Speed Kills, and We’re Not Doing Enough to Stop It
More than 112,500 people lost their lives in speed-related crashes from 2005 to 2014, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic deaths in America over that period. In a draft report released earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board says excessive speed is a deadly problem in our nation's transportation system -- one that federal and state officials aren't doing enough to address.
July 28, 2017
Self-Driving Cars Should Accommodate People, Not the Other Way Around
You think victim-blaming is bad now? Making everyone walk or bike with a "don't hit me" device would further penalize the most vulnerable.
July 27, 2017
How “Distracted Walking” Hype Puts Pedestrians at Risk
It's easier to blame pedestrian deaths on victims than to confront our responsibility to create a safer transportation system.
July 26, 2017
Honolulu City Council Wants Tighter Distraction Rules for Pedestrians Than for Drivers
The bill would prohibit people from "viewing a mobile electronic device" while crossing the street. Meanwhile, Honolulu drivers can take their eyes off the road to look at their dash-mounted devices, issue voice commands, and so forth while plowing through an intersection.
July 19, 2017
How Ethical Is Your Driving?
Most of us who drive don't spend much time weighing the morals of our behavior as motorists, but we should. Otherwise, by the time the ethical implications of our behavior are clear, it's probably going to be too late.
July 14, 2017
We Don’t Appreciate the Vulnerability of Pedestrians Until It’s Too Late
Data suggests we generally don't appreciate how vulnerable others are or how much power we have to hurt each other until it's too late - and pedestrians and cyclists tend to pay the steepest price for that.
July 6, 2017
Eyes on the Street: New Painted Curb Extension Across from L.A. City Hall
New pedestrian safety improvements spotted at the intersection of First Street and Main Street in downtown L.A.
June 30, 2017
Peter Flax L.A. Times Editorial Nails Playa Del Rey Controversy
Peter Flax has penned a must-read editorial on recent Playa Del Rey street safety controversies. He concludes: "When cars race through neighborhoods where people live, shop and play, speed kills. Taking steps that force us to slow down isn’t an outrage or a conspiracy, it’s making L.A. a better place to live."
June 29, 2017
What About Bike Safety During Paving and Construction Projects?
Construction crews tend to see bike lanes as a place to plant detour signs, rather than recognizing them as travel lanes.
June 28, 2017
What Do Drivers Really Think of Cyclists?
There's ample research out there backing up the safety benefits of streets with protected bikeways and slow car speeds. But what about the critically important yet less tangible factor of individual attitudes -- how does the mind of the person behind the wheel affect driver behavior toward cyclists? A new report from Portland State University looks at the question.
June 28, 2017
