US road safety issue for vulnerable road users

Vulnerable road users face risks in the US. While road fatalities are falling overall in the US, pedestrians and cyclists have seen an increase in road deaths in recent years. Driver fatalities have dropped from 27,348 in 2006 to 23,611 in 2017. However, road deaths for pedestrians and cyclists have increased from 5,567 in 2006 to 6,760 in 2017. Poor attitude by US drivers is thought to be a key factor. Aggressive behaviour behind the wheel and driver distraction, particularly with the use of cellphones,
March 1, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Vulnerable road users face risks in the US. While road fatalities are falling overall in the US, pedestrians and cyclists have seen an increase in road deaths in recent years.

Driver fatalities have dropped from 27,348 in 2006 to 23,611 in 2017. However, road deaths for pedestrians and cyclists have increased from 5,567 in 2006 to 6,760 in 2017.

Poor attitude by US drivers is thought to be a key factor. Aggressive behaviour behind the wheel and driver distraction, particularly with the use of cellphones, are thought to be key factors. Road deaths amongst vulnerable road users are rising in the US, a factor not seen in other developed nations. Between 2010 and 2016, pedestrian deaths dropped by 37% in Norway. But in the US in the same period, pedestrian deaths increased by 39%.

The issue of poor safety for vulnerable road users is a problem in many countries across the globe. Injuries resulting from road traffic crashes are the single biggest cause of death for children and young adults around the world. More than half of all traffic deaths are of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Related Content

  • UK death rate not falling fast enough in The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Report 2013
    September 26, 2014
    Road safety lobby groups have criticised Britain for pushing down its annual road fatality rate by a further 2% in the past year, the lowest figure since records began in 1926. The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2013 (RRCGB) Annual Report, published in September 2014, reveals that 1,713 people were killed in road accidents in the country during 2013, with the number of people seriously injured down by 6% to 21,657 versus 2012.
    Read More
  • Study reveals high levels of US motorcyclist fatalities
    April 26, 2013
    A report by the US Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) estimates that motorcyclist deaths increased around 9% in 2012, with over 5,000 killed. This is greater than had been expected by the US Government and if the data is confirmed, 2012 will be the 14th out of the last 15 years in which motorcyclist fatalities have increased. This shocking data is in marked contrast to US road fatalities overall, which have dropped. Motorcyclists remain one of the few roadway user groups where no safety improvemen
    Read More
  • European Transport Safety Commission makes call for traffic safety boost
    July 10, 2015
    In 2013, 7,600 people died in road traffic while cycling or walking in European Union (EU) countries – the equivalent of a commercial airliner full of passengers being lost every week Because of this risk of death, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) wants vehicle manufacturers and local authorities to pay special attention to improving safety for cyclists, walkers and pedestrians. In a new report, the ETSC said the numbers being killed are falling more slowly than those for vehicle occupants. Over
    Read More
  • British road safety; a small improvement
    May 26, 2023
    British road safety is showing a small but encouraging improvement.
    Read More

Highlighted Content