Title: Briefing on the Regional Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Problem, Results of the Street Smart Program,
1Briefing on the Regional Pedestrian and Bicycle
Safety Problem, Results of the Street Smart
Program, and a Proposed Request for Local Funding
Commitments
- Briefing to the Safety Work Group
- April 7, 2005
Michael Farrell
2Background
- At its March meeting, the TPB Technical Committee
received a briefing from COG staff on the goals,
evaluation, and funding of the Street Smart
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program. TPB Tech
requested additional information on pedestrian
safety in the Washington region, how pedestrian
safety can be improved, and a stronger
justification for the Street Smart program. - The TPB Tech also suggested that the Police
Chiefs Committee be briefed on Pedestrian and
Bicycle Safety
3Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Scope of the
Problem Nationally and Regionally
- Of 42,643 traffic fatalities in the United States
in 2003, 4,749 were pedestrians - Nationally pedestrians account for 11 of motor
vehicle deaths. Urban areas have higher
pedestrian fatality rates than rural areas. - In the Washington, D.C. metro area, over 2600
pedestrians and bicyclists are injured every
year, and 89 are killed. - The Washington-Baltimore region ranks 22nd out of
the 50 largest metropolitan areas in terms of
pedestrian deaths per capita. - Walking is most dangerous in newer, sunbelt
cities with large retiree populations, and least
dangerous in older, pedestrian-oriented cities.
Washington is about in the middle. - Pedestrians and bicyclists account for nearly a
quarter of those killed on the roads in the
Washington region.
4Annual Traffic Fatalities 368
5(No Transcript)
6(No Transcript)
7The Street Smart Campaign
- Launched in October 2002
- Consisted of a one-month wave of radio, Metro and
outdoor transit advertising. - Prime target male drivers age 18-34
- Second wave in April, 2004
- Third wave June, 2005
- Expected multi-year campaign to achieve results
- Anti-drunk driving 9 years
- Buckle up 5 years
8(No Transcript)
9(No Transcript)
10(No Transcript)
11(No Transcript)
12October 2002 vs. April 2004
- October, 2002
- Radio (941 spots) 181,250
- TV None
- Print None
- Media Relations None
- Collateral Materials 28,300
- Posters (2,250) 12,700
- Brochures (50,000) 5,000
- Safety Tips Inserts (250,000) 10,000
- Stickers (10,000) 600
- Outdoor Media 90,250
- Busbacks (65)
- Metro Station Poster Cards (12)
- Bus Cards (350)
- Transit shelters (43)
- Total 300,000
- April, 2004
- Radio (680 spots) 114,614
- TV (241 spots) 56,500
- Print (12 insertions) 9,556
- Media Relations 10,000
- Collateral Materials 28,000
- Posters (1,500)
- Brochures (100,000)
- Transit Shelters (41)
- Stickers None
- Outdoor Media 96,064
- Busbacks (150)
- Metro Station Poster Cards None
- Bus Cards (375)
- Transit Shelters (41)
- Total 315,000
13Why Target Most Resources at Male Drivers aged 18
to 34?
- Montgomery County Study shows motorists at fault
as often as pedestrians and bicyclists - Even when the pedestrian is at fault, motorist
often has some ability to avoid the collision - Male motorists aged 18 to 34 are
disproportionately involved in collisions of all
types, including collisions with pedestrians. - DDOT found that male drivers account for 73 of
collisions with pedestrians or bicyclists in the
District of Columbia, and the average age of
those drivers was 26.7 years. - Male drivers account for 83 of fatal pedestrian
or bicycle collisions in the State of Maryland. - Approximately 60 of pedestrians killed in the
Washington region are male. - We can target this demographic cost-effectively,
through drive-time radio on selected stations.
14At Fault Pedestrian Crash Data Montgomery
County, 2002
15At Fault Data for Pedestrian-Involved Crashes
- DC data show 45 of pedestrians were either not
in the crosswalk, walked from between parked
cars, or crossed against a pedestrian signal. - A 2002 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
study implicated driver negligence in 40 of
pedestrian collisions in the Washington-Baltimore
area. - The following data on fault was available from
Maryland jurisdictions
16Alcohol-Involved Pedestrian/Bicycle Fatalities
- 28 of pedestrians killed in Maryland 1999-2003
were intoxicated. - Drunk drivers account for about 1/3 of all fatal
and injury crashes in Maryland. - Alcohol is a serious safety problem for both
motorists and pedestrians
17Getting the Message to Pedestrians and Bicyclists
- Pedestrians and bicyclists are more difficult to
reach than motorists because they do not
typically carry radios. - Transit Advertising
- Interior bus cards and transit shelter ads
reached transit patrons - High-crash locations were targeted for transit
shelter ads - Bus-backs reached motorists and bicyclists
- With a major budget increase, we could
- Run a television campaign costing a minimum of
92,000 per week to run, plus 30,000-50,000 to
create. A one-month television campaign would
cost nearly half a million. - This is the minimum size television campaign the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
recomends
18Law Enforcement is Needed to Reinforce the
Campaign Message
- Fear of legal consequences is a motivator that
can be mentioned in ads - Used effectively in anti-drunk driving, seatbelt
campaigns - Media pays attention to enforcement stings
- Feedback from pedestrian safety staff, the
consultant, and law enforcement is that there is
very little pedestrian-related enforcement. - DC, Montgomery County, Prince Georges County,
and Fairfax County have done some crosswalk
stings during the media campaigns.
19Impacts of Street Smart
- Methodolology Pre- and post-campaign telephone
surveys of randomly selected motorists. - Results
- Since 2002, there has been a notable improvement
in reported driver behavior regarding yielding to
pedestrians in crosswalks. - Among target male drivers under 35 years of age,
awareness of police efforts to crackdown on
drivers who did not yield to pedestrians
increased 22 points, from 10 to 32 between
April and May 2004 - Overall awareness of campaign messages increased
by 8 - No change in beliefs about likelihood of getting
a ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian - No reported improvement in observed pedestrian
behavior - Drive-time radio was most effective in reaching
the target audience
20Conclusions
- The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Problem
- We have a significant pedestrian and bicycle
safety problem - The severity is typical of major urban areas
- It is region-wide, with the urban and inner
suburban counties having a worse problem than the
outer counties - Yourng male driver behavior is a significant part
of the problem - Mass Media/Behavioral Modification as a Solution
- Through drive-time radio, Street Smart has
created awareness of its message in its target
audience of male drivers aged 18 to 34. - Pedestrians and cyclists are more costly to reach
than motorists - Outlook
- Mass media/behavioral modification campaigns must
be sustained over years, need support from law
enforcement, and must be of a minimum scale to
have any impact. - The data did not suggest major changes to the
program as currently budgeted - Need a formal mechanism to solicit local funding
21Street Smart Funding History
22Funding Status FY 2005
23 Proposed Street Smart Funding
- Need formal, written mechanism for the region to
solicit local contributions for this program. - At its February meeting, the TPB asked staff to
prepare a table of suggested contributions - COG retains 8 of project funds to cover
administrative expenses - Local contributions are needed to meet the
matching requirements for federal money
distributed through the States - A commitment is needed now for the Spring, 2006
campaign - January in future years
- Five cents per capita is proportional to the
level at which 2005 sponsors are contributing. - The following table has been shown to the TPB,
and the TPB will be asked to send a letter to its
member jurisdictions recomending that they fund
the Street Smart program at the suggested level.
24(No Transcript)