Safety Concerns

Congress created SRTS because of a national safety concern for children, pedestrians and bicyclists unprotected on streets.

More Traffic, More Pedestrians, More Conflict

Hear from an Expert (video)

• Increasing traffic and congestion at schools
• School budgets cuts reduce free busing within two miles of school
• More parents drive their children to school, escalating traffic
• Emphasis on health and exercise to combat obesity among children
• More drivers are speeding, which puts children at greater risk
• Increasing safety concerns are stimulating the federal government and local authorities to act

Facts Support Concern

There are 41 million children in this country aged 5 - 14 (2000 census data). Their safety is the driving force behind Safe Routes to School.

• Nearly one-fifth of all traffic fatalities were pedestrians and pedalcyclists aged 5 -15 (FARS data)
• More than 70,000 pedestrians were killed or injured in traffic crashes in 2004; 17% of those killed were children aged 5 - 9 (FARS data)
• About 30,000 children (14 and younger) were injured as pedestrians (12,000) or pedalcyclists (17,000) in 2004 (FARS data)
• The fatality rate for children riding bicycles is 24% higher than the rate for all pedalcyclists (FARS data)
• Most pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (71%) at night (65%) (NHTSA 2004 Traffic Safety Facts)
• For children under 16, 40% of these deaths occur between (3 - 7 pm) making dawn and dusk particularly crucial periods for concern (FARS data)

Useful Links

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for traffic statistics cited
• A Pocket Guide to Improve Traffic Control and Mobility for Our Older Population