The public health issue: Each year, thousands of pedestrians in the U.S. are involved in traffic crashes with motorists and suffer serious or fatal injuries. The majority of pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas. Philadelphia, along with Louisville, KY and New York City, NY received funding through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to improve pedestrian safety.
In Philadelphia, these funds are being used to support the It’s Road Safety, Not Rocket Science program managed by the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities. Program partners include the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
Our contribution to the client: PHMC’s Research & Evaluation Group is evaluating the It’s Road Safety, Not Rocket Science program in order to determine the effectiveness of a pedestrian safety program. The evaluation includes intercept interviews with pedestrians to assess recall of the multi-media campaign, a survey of police officers to measure knowledge about pedestrian safety and attitudes towards enforcement, and an analysis of data collected during police enforcement and pedestrian fatalities and injuries. Findings from the evaluation will be shared with the Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration with recommendations for reducing motor vehicle and pedestrian crashes and improving pedestrian safety.
Additional information about the program can be found at: www.itsroadsafety.com