Summary
Our roadways were designed to move motor vehicles safely and efficiently. They often do not fully meet the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists-our vulnerable road users (VRUs). As a result, we are seeing increasing dangers to this population and too many accidents involving vehicles and VRUs.
We must use a Safe System approach to better protect VRUs and ensure safe roads for all. A Safe System addresses all aspects of traffic safety: road users, vehicles, speeds, roads, and post crash care. We must make better safety investments, from road treatments, vehicle design, and collision-avoidance systems to strong traffic safety laws and robust education efforts to mitigate injury risks for all road users.
Unlike motor vehicles, VRUs lack an external structure to protect them when crashes occur, and they’re more likely to suffer a serious injury or even death. Proven, effective countermeasures are being underused at the federal, state, and local levels to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. We have long been concerned with the threat to VRUs. In 2018 and 2019, we published three reports on the risks to this vulnerable population and issued more than 30 new recommendations focused on reducing VRU traffic deaths.
All audio is courtesy: National Transportation Safety Board. The audio was cleaned up and breaks removed.
If you want to see the visuals, you can watch the YouTube video https://youtu.be/k0XgHY82R0o posted on the NTSBgov channel.
You can find the 2021-2022 NTSB Most wanted list on their website here https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl/Pages/default.aspx
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