law enforcement role in pedestrian safety mike geraci director, office of safety programs national...
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Law Enforcement Role in Pedestrian Safety
Mike GeraciDirector, Office of Safety Programs
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration April 29, 2008
NHTSA’s Role in Pedestrian Safety
• Develop pedestrian safety programs based on problem identification that focus on the behavioral and enforcement factors.
• Conduct continuing research on pedestrian-related issues to improve countermeasures and address emerging issues.
• Work with States and local agencies on implementing pedestrian safety programs.
• Reducing pedestrian fatalities involves incorporating allthree E’s: education, enforcement and engineering.
Law Enforcement Role• Is It Addressed?
• Data Collection and Analysis• Traffic Enforcement:
– Reduces crashes, injuries and fatalities– Effective general deterrence for crime and traffic violations– Improved quality of life community-wide
• Enforcement of vehicle and traffic lawsMotor Vehicle
- Speed- Yielding Right of Way- Right on Red, etc.
Pedestrian- Crossing at intersections- Obeying traffic signals
Law Enforcement Role
• Public Information and Education– Community relations– Educate community about pedestrian safety
- Churches
- Community Associations
- Schools
– Safe Routes to School Programs– International Walk To School Day
Effective Enforcement Initiatives
• Speed Enforcement – Heed the Speed Pilot Study (AZ)
• Objectives– Examine methods to “calm” streets where
traditional calming can’t be used– Enhance engineering calming
Pilot Study Results
Significant drop in:
-Average speed
-Average speed above limit
-Average speed of speeders
-Number going more than 7 mph over
Expanding the Pilot Study
Conducting on a larger scale in Philadelphia, PA
Effective Enforcement InitiativesMiami Beach, FL
• “Decoy” Pedestrian Crossing Enforcement Operation
• High crash corridors in Miami Beach • In one year, police stopped 1,562 motorists
failing to yield to pedestrians • 1,218 of these were stopped within the first two weeks of the
program
• Yielding rates rose from 3.3% to 27.8% and 18.2% to 34.1%
• Program results were maintained in the absence of high levels of enforcement
NHTSA Pedestrian Enforcement Resources
• Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Saves Lives – Police Roll Call DVD
• Available online: mms://trinilearn.wmod.llnwd.net/a607/o1/NHTSA/PedestrianSafety.wmv
• Coming Soon – Pedestrian Law Enforcement Training
• Traffic law enforcement training available Summer 2009
For More Information
Leah Preiss
Pedestrian Safety Program Manager
202-366-4301
