Understanding Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Trends in the Post-Pandemic Era

Details

• Creators:
  Mahdinia, Iman ; Stahl, Amalia ; Hirandas, Lekshmey ; Oum, SangHyouk ; Griswold, Julia B
• Corporate Creators:
  Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC) ; University of California, Berkeley
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  COVID-19 Cyclists Fatalities Injuries Pedestrians Pedestrian Safety Safety
• Publication/ Report Number:
  23UCB03
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/13wj-sp60
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States;California
• Edition:
  Final Report – June 2023 to May 2024
• Corporate Publisher:
  Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC)
• Abstract:
  This comprehensive study investigates trends in pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities across the United States (U.S.) and fatalities and serious injuries (FSI) within California, especially before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It particularly focuses on varying community settings, including urban, rural, disadvantaged, and non-disadvantaged areas. Utilizing multiple data sources, the study analyzes fatalities nationwide through the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and FSI from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), enriched with socio-demographic data. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data to explore fatality trends across the U.S. and FSI trends across California. Additionally, a random-effects negative binomial regression model with panel data was employed to assess FSI in California, categorized by pre- and post-pandemic periods. This study illuminates significant shifts in pedestrian and bicyclist safety trends across the U.S. and California in the post-pandemic era. Nationwide, there was an 18.76% increase in pedestrian and bicyclist per capita fatality rates, with notable regional variations: urban areas saw a 21.02% increase, rural areas 7.29%, disadvantaged communities 20.02%, and non-disadvantaged communities 17.46%, highlighting a substantial increase in disadvantaged areas. In California, pedestrian and bicyclist crash data demonstrated a 6.74% rise in FSI rate, with 5.55% in disadvantaged communities and 8.00% in non-disadvantaged communities in the post-pandemic era. The analysis identifies significant disparities in safety outcomes influenced by various disadvantaged burden factors, with transportation and health disadvantages being the most impactful. These findings underscore the complexity of pedestrian and bicyclist safety in the post-pandemic era and highlight the necessity for targeted safety improvements tailored to regional characteristics to effectively address safety disparities and enhance the overall safety of vulnerable road users.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  69A3552348336
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7ecba0836b8a392a6240aaa660016395f7b41a13ae69c3466116d07caefa03a0ed16b7c7a71bde668a1d03b52e5f953a158f4f053e40e566f08827c5c6e89f96
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/86267/dot_86267_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.92 MB ]