State: Document 101 Pedestrians Died On Roads In 2022

State Fashioning Response To “Shockingly Excessive Figures”

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JULY 18, 2023……The variety of pedestrians and bicyclists concerned in on-the-road accidents in Massachusetts is on the rise after record-lows in 2020, with probably the most pedestrian fatalities on report occurring in 2022.

A current division of transportation assessment on the security of so-called weak highway customers — those that use the roads however not in a motorized vehicle, together with pedestrians, bicyclists, curler bladers, and others — confirmed that 101 pedestrians died in crashes in 2022. The earlier excessive of 83 pedestrian deaths was recorded in 2012, in response to MassDOT information.

Bicyclist fatalities had been additionally excessive in 2022, with 10 cyclists dying on the highway, however didn’t spike to peaks reached in some earlier years.

Each state is required to arrange a weak highway person evaluation beneath the brand new federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation. MassDOT has been accumulating and analyzing information, and can subsequent give attention to doing outreach and utilizing this info to establish initiatives to enhance highway security. The evaluation shall be up to date once more in 2027, alongside the Strategic Freeway Security Plan.

State Security Engineer Bonnie Polin mentioned among the information uncovered within the evaluation stunned her, together with the variety of accidents occurring shut to colleges.

Statewide, 41 % of deadly and critical harm bicycle crashes and 44 % of pedestrian and skater crashes occurred inside 2,000 ft of faculties.

Polin mentioned MassDOT helps run a “Protected Routes to Faculty” program, which as of the 2022-2023 tutorial 12 months works with 60 % of faculties throughout in Massachusetts. Beneath that program, 79 infrastructure initiatives have been accomplished to assist college students stroll or bike safely to high school and 21 indicators and roadlines have been put in place or have been designed.

However with this new information, Polin mentioned the division is trying to “improve” this system.

“One of many issues we’re doing in 2023, is the state modified the definition of what a college zone is. It was Ok by means of eighth grade. And now we added ninth by means of twelfth grade, so on account of that, we need to try to put in place some security measures for communities to deal with excessive colleges,” Polin mentioned.

The division put out a suggestion to all 351 cities and cities to supply pace restrict highway indicators that present a driver how briskly they’re going, she mentioned. A bit over a 3rd of the state’s municipalities responded with curiosity in erecting these indicators in newly-defined faculty zones. The division started their rollout this week.

“We perceive the danger of being in a college zone, and we definitely perceive the danger of dashing and speed-related points. So this method combines these two,” Polin mentioned.

MassDOT additionally supplied signage to all cities and cities to assist increase consciousness of the brand new four-foot passage legislation for cyclists.

The legislation former Gov. Charlie Baker signed in January requires drivers to maintain a minimum of 4 ft between them and people alongside the facet of the highway, whether or not that be pedestrians, cyclists, upkeep staff or different drivers who pulled their automobile to the facet of the roadway.

The legislation was additionally meant to make it clear to motorists that they will cross the middle line, if secure to take action, if wanted to cross a pedestrian or cyclists.

Over 4,000 indicators with details about the four-foot passage legislation had been requested by municipalities and shall be delivered throughout the subsequent few weeks to a few third of the cities and cities across the state.

MassDOT can be utilizing the info collected for the evaluation to revamp bus stops, after it confirmed a correlation between accidents and transit proximity: 41 % of pedestrian-involved crashes and 34 % of bicyclist crashes occurred inside 300 ft of bus stops statewide.

This statistic is even increased in Boston-area communities, the place 45 % of bicyclist crashes and 50 % of pedestrian accidents occurred inside 300 ft of an MBTA bus cease.

The division is planning to make use of cash obtainable by means of the federal infrastructure legislation to fund security enhancements.

“We’re working with the MBTA and dealing with communities to try to improve bus stops, this can be a program we’re beginning in 2024,” Polin mentioned. “If we will improve the bus stops and make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road to get on and off a bus, we’re making it safer for everybody … In order that’s one thing that simply got here out of the numbers — I assumed they had been staggering.”

The division can be hoping to teach residents on the risks of ingesting or utilizing medication and strolling near roads.

Between 2017 and 2022, 25 % of pedestrians hospitalized for non-fatal motorized vehicle crash accidents had been impaired from alcohol or drug use. Amongst cyclists, 16 % of these despatched to the hospital with accidents from a crash had been beneath the affect.

“Whereas we now have nice messaging about … designated drivers, you’ll be able to’t have a chosen walker. We have to ship a message out to those that strolling impaired is hazardous to your well being,” Polin mentioned.

The division can be contemplating highway security adjustments based mostly on demographic information of weak highway customers concerned in accidents.

The evaluation discovered that 100% of all Asian pedestrians and cyclists who died in accidents with motor automobiles had been foreign-born.

“It does increase the query — are we getting the message out in sure communities? Can we assist educate them?” Polin mentioned. “As a result of in Asian international locations, the stroll indication for folks to stroll is a inexperienced particular person, not a white particular person — , the white gentle crossing the road. And in order that tells us, do we have to change our messaging for sure communities?”

Knowledge additionally exhibits that pedestrians over 55 on common had a demise price two occasions increased than youthful age teams, and that from 2016 till 2021 Black pedestrians had charges of injury-related hospital stays thrice increased on common than white pedestrians.

“The extra we get this phrase out, I believe when folks see a few of these beautiful figures — I imply shockingly excessive figures — that alone raises consciousness,” Polin mentioned.