The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) was established to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation’s highways. As part of this mission, NHTSA has implemented comprehensive programs involving education, enforcement, and outreach to promote bicyclist and pedestrian safety and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities incurred. While NHTSA encourages bicycling as an alternate mode of transportation to motor vehicle travel, an increase in this behavior often results in increased exposure to vehicles and other risks, accentuating the criticality of designing and implementing effective safety programs. Despite all preventative measures, crashes and collisions continue to occur. While bicyclists on the road have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists, motorists and bicyclists do not necessarily abide by the same rules. Similarly, pedestrian injuries and fatalities result from a number of contributing influences that may include the inappropriate use of sidewalks, distracted walking, and high-risk environments. Many injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes and collisions may have been prevented with changes in behavior. Improvements have been made in recent years regarding the safety of pedestrians, particularly America’s youngest pedestrians. For example, from 2002 to 2011, the number of pedestrian fatalities among those 14 and younger decreased by 41 percent. 1 Nonetheless, more work remains to be done. To better understand the attitudes and self-reported behaviors related to bicyclist and pedestrian activities, NHTSA conducted the National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behaviors in 2002, and again in 2012. This report presents findings from the 2012 National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behaviors (NSBPAB). Specifically, the 2012 NSBPAB survey assessed the extent to which respondents engaged in bicycling and walking outdoors; demographic and typological descriptions of bicyclists and pedestrians; the extent and frequency of using electronic devices while biking or walking; attitudes and perceptions about bicycling and pedestrian activity; the availability and use of bike paths and lanes in the community; knowledge of various laws pertaining to bicyclists and pedestrians; and changes in bicycling and pedestrian behavior and attitudes since 2002. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting