CHALLENGE

Pedestrian fatalities increased in 2014 and have not decreased. They account for 15 percent of all traffic related fatalities. More attention to planning, design, education and enforcement must be given to this area in order to reduce pedestrian fatalities. Education efforts are underway to teach the public that everyone is responsible, especially making drivers aware of pedestrians and to drive focused. Our challenge is to increase safety and the appeal of walking resulting in an increase in more people walking.

DIRECTION

Efforts must be made to prevent pedestrian related crashes by changing Utah's culture to provide safer pedestrian travel. Efforts must also be made to educate children and their parents about safety around cars and to reduce the possibility and/or severity of crashes involving children.

Engineering

• Evaluate top 10 locations having significant crash trends involving pedestrians.
• Develop and implement improvement projects including signage, lighting, crosswalk and roadway design features.
• Continue to support the Safe Sidewalk Program
• Increase data for active transportation and implement active transportation crash review meetings.
• Identify locations having significant crash trends involving school zones.
• Improving infrastructure for safe routes to school.

Education

• Continue to support and implement the Heads Up and other education programs aimed at all age groups.
• Proactively planning to elevate pedestrian safety compared to capacity.
• Shifting culture toward moving people, not cars, through community engagement across Utah.
• Encourage walking to school and using the Safe Routes Utah tools and resources.
• Research creating a Safety Garden in Utah.

Enforcement

• Meet twice a year with local law enforcement on pedestrian concerns and more pedestrian enforcement.
• Broaden reach of pedestrian enforcement funded shifts or blitzes.
• Promote crosswalk and school zone enforcement/public information campaigns when funding is available.

Emergency Medical Services

• Encourage participation of local emergency medical service providers to participate in local education programs.
• Increase involvement of EMS for Children Coordinators in the implementation of educational programs.

LEADERS

• Utah Department of Transportation,
• Utah Department of Public Safety:
  • Highway Safety Office,
  • Utah Highway Patrol
• Statewide Local Law Enforcement Agencies,
• Utah Chiefs of Police Association,
• Utah Department of Health:
  • Bureau of Health Promotion,
  • Bureau of EMS and Preparedness,
• Safe Kids Utah.

go back to Emphasis Safety Areas