Solano Pedestrian Safety Event
I’m Ed Smith, a Suisun car accident lawyer. On Wednesday, October 4, 2017, children who attend school in Solano County participated in the International Walk to School Day, which aims to promote the benefits of walking for transportation as well as highlight the need for pedestrian safety measures around schools in the county.
The Event
Walk to School Day was initially established in the U.S. in 1997 by the group Partnership for a Walkable America. Great Britain and Canada had already had such programs in place and, in 2000, the countries joined their programs to form International Walk to School Day.
Locally
On a local level, the event came out of a partnership between Solano County schools and the Solano Transportation Authority’s Safe Routes to School. The program that encourages children to bike or walk to school by hosting educational events, giving out student prizes, and organizing various safety projects conducted with the participation of police departments, public health officials, city traffic engineers, and school staff.
Betsy Beavers, the coordinator of the county program, said that the purpose of the event was to remind kids and parents alike of the joy of walking to school and raise awareness of the need to construct safer routes for students who choose to get to school without the use of a vehicle, additionally putting emphasis on the health and environmental benefits of walking and biking.
An Impact
Beavers noted that the event, now in its 10th anniversary locally, has made an impact on Solano. She explained that the program reduces the number of vehicles in and near school grounds adding that this improves student safety not only by reducing the risk of a pedestrian collision, but also by reducing carbon fumes near schools, which may help ease adverse effects on students with asthmatic issues.
Beavers told reporters, “The little things make a big impact.”
Increasing Pedestrian Safety
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable individuals on the road and, in the event of a motor vehicle accident, often sustain major traumatic injuries. Some of the measures that the program suggests schools and cities take to improve the safety of pedestrians and students as well as people county-wide include:
- Ensuring that walkways meet national standards of accessibility
- Slowing traffic near schools and in neighborhoods through enforcement and traffic-calming efforts
- Teaching special classes on safe walking and bicycling
- Instituting “bicycle trains” and “walking school buses” so that children can have an adult presence on their commute to and from school
- Installing curb ramps at all intersections and midblock crossings
- Providing safe and well-maintained walking paths separate from roadways
Pedestrian Collisions
Pedestrian collisions are especially dangerous because pedestrians lack the protection that occupants of passenger vehicles have. Even if a vehicle is moving slowly, pedestrians are liable to receive major injuries such as head and brain injuries from being knocked over, or fractures due to the overwhelming mass of a colliding vehicle.
Pedestrians should always try to remain visible, especially at night, and behave predictably so that vehicles can make avoidance maneuvers.
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Suisun Car Accident Lawyer
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