Have you ever felt unsafe while walking or biking? In DC, drivers are constantly running red lights, blocking crosswalks, speeding, and being distracted by their phones, exposing pedestrians and cyclists to danger. Many people are getting injured and dying because the government has failed to implement measures to stop it. The government needs to invest in technology and design that will help protect pedestrians.
Imagine 20 people. They could be your friends, they can be your family, they can just be random strangers. Now, think of all of these people on the ground. Think of all these people being killed by motor vehicles. This is the sad truth. NPR says that 20 pedestrians are killed every single day in the United States. This is over 7,000 a year. The CDC says that there were also an estimated 104,000 emergency department visits of pedestrians treated for non-fatal crash-related injuries in 2020. As you can see from this high number of injuries, pedestrians are unsafe in the United States, and we need to do something about it.
Cities need to build infrastructure to protect pedestrians. According to the LA Times, raised crosswalks, protected bike lanes, and curb extensions are easy to build and will keep pedestrians safer. Research referenced by the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition says that “adding protected bike lanes reduces all collisions and injuries by 30-50%.” Thirty to fifty percent is a lot of accidents avoided and a lot of lives saved. Lastly, I think that we should have reminders of safe traffic practices. If we remind pedestrians and drivers to follow laws, we can reduce accidents. These ideas are all easy to implement and could save many lives, so I think the decision is clear.
This is important to me because I walk around DC every day. Every day, I see people running red lights, making illegal turns, and doing other dangerous activities that put pedestrians at risk. I want to feel safe and be safe when I am walking outside. This is why, in addition to governments building safer streets, we need to build them with our habits. We need to drive in a way that keeps people safe.
It is evident that pedestrians are unsafe in the United States. The government needs to implement solutions to help protect pedestrians. They could add protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks, and curb extensions. Please encourage your local government officials to implement these solutions and more, follow traffic laws, and remember: you can be the difference between someone’s life and their death.
