The numbers are in, and we are not doing a good job behind the wheel when it comes to sharing the road with bikes and pedestrians. Under 3% of all crashes involved bikes or pedestrians, but they represent 26% of deaths
are in, and we are not doing a good job behind the wheel when it comes to sharing the road with bikes and pedestrians.
155 of them were on bicycles or walking. “We are going the wrong way,” the Washington Department of Transportation’s Charlotte Claybrooke said. “We’ve had a 26% increase in deaths of pedestrians and bicyclists on our roads and a 28% increase in serious injuries.” And not surprising, most of these deaths are happening in cities, not on rural roads, and most are happening at conflict points like intersections and crosswalks.
And the causes are variable: a car turning without seeing a bike, a pedestrian crossing a dark street at night, a bike blowing through a stop sign or signal. Everyone has a role to play in preventing these deaths, but it is the drivers that are being targeted for fixing the problem.Claybrooke said the legislature has given WSDOT the green light to reduce speeds where it makes sense.