USA ranks low on road fatality index  USA ranks between Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, Slovenia with about 14 road fatalities per 100,000 people. That's compared to about 5/100,000 people in Netherlands, Great Britain, Norway, United Kingdom. From How We Drive, the Blog by the author of Traffic.

One part of the strategy is an increase in "self-enforcing" 20 MPH speed zones in urban areas (London now has more than 700, it notes).

Research suggests that pedestrians struck at 30 mph have about a 1 in 5 chance of being killed. At 20 mph the chance of a pedestrian dying is 1 in 40. In order to improve safety on the streets where we live, we will amend our guidance on speed limits, recommending that highway authorities, over time, introduce 20 mph zones or limits into streets that are primarily residential in nature and which are not part of any major through route. Similarly, we will encourage local authorities to consider introducing 20 mph limits or zones in town or city streets, such as around schools, shops, markets, playgrounds and other areas where pedestrian and cyclist movements are high.

Not only do these zones make our streets safer, but they also have potential to reduce pollution and improve public health by encouraging walking and cycling. The limited evidence gathered to date suggests that people walk and cycle more in areas subject to 20 mph zones. We believe that these road safety measures will have the effect of enhancing both public safety and public perception of safety, so encouraging more walking and cycling.

Labels: road fatalities

posted by Bruce Wright at 10:53 AM #