The FMCSA will hold a webinar on Nov. 18 in support of the Mayor’s Challenge for Safer People and Safer streets. The goal of the webinar is to introduce new stakeholders to the mission of keeping the roads safe by analyzing big truck crash fatalities that involve bicyclists and pedestrians.
The webinar will draft community opportunities and present the findings of the new research, as well as a model case study analysis.
Recent studies show that there have been an increase of bicyclists and pedestrians fatal crashes involving large trucks. The percentage is almost the same as that of the bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities from crashes involving all types of motor vehicles.
In 2013 the numbers were the following: 78 bicyclists and 338 pedestrians died in accidents that involved big trucks. It is 2% and 8,5% of all 3,964 large truck fatalities happened that year. The statistics were provided by the NHTSA.
You can sign up for the FMCSA webinar here.
They’re moving ahead with initiatives like this all across the country and I’m not sure how to feel about it. Blaming the drivers is easy, but there has to be accountability either on the city or the pedestrians part when they cross improperly or cut across high ways and free ways where there is no crossing. I know in New York City they’ve been reporting problems on local roads. They brought the speed limit down to 20 and the problem persists, and it was never really a speeding problem to begin with, It’s more improper crossings and poor road design. Seems to me the transportation boards are going after the lowest hanging fruit to appease the public.
This is just another reason for cops to pull over drivers and make it harder for trucks in busy cities. We do need to do more to stop people from getting hurt but I don’t see this as the solution. We need to find a way to make the streets safer for everyone and bringing the speed limit down to a crawl on local roads is not enough to fix it. I would love to see what they are saying the actual cause is of most of these accidents. Some additional data would be useful here.
As a driver, I have learned to get very, very cautious while in the city. And as Deon says, it is TOO easy to blame the drivers. Mostly because they see a big truck and are under the assumption that we can just sop on a dime. I’ve taken it upon myself to install a camera in the cab of my truck facing the windshield. Too many people want a payday, and too many WILL believe we are at fault. (it is MY truck) and it has saved me from at least 3 lawsuits. Like the cops now need to wear body cam, I suggest drivers install cameras in the cab. Will save you a lot of headaches.