Are more cyclists getting hit from behind than ever before?

The following story first appeared on the Bike Delaware Blog and appears here with the author's permission.


Who is telling the truth?

Is it this one, claiming that 7% of bicycle-related accidents are hit from behind, or this one, saying cars run into bicyclists from behind only 3.8% of the time, or this one telling us getting hit from behind is extremely unlikely?

Or, is the League of American Bicyclists latest fact finding initiative “Every Bicyclist Counts” going to prove them all wrong, with current statistics showing that 1 in 4 crashes involve drivers hitting bicyclists from behind?

Since there is little about this on-line or in LAB’s website as of yet (nothing searchable, anyway) below is page 3 of a letter that came in the mail today, appealing for funds:

 

 

We already know how woefully inadequate the police and media are at reporting these tragedies. Do they accurately reconstruct the accident or crime scene before defaulting to bicyclist at fault? Most often, a hate-filled verdict is already delivered against the bicyclist in the comments section of a newspaper, even if the evidence clearly shows otherwise.

In reviewing the materials and website, we applaud the League for taking on this enormous challenge, to bring these depressing statistics up to date.

Reminder:  May 16th, 2012 is the Ride of Silence. The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety.

UPDATE - Driver Arrested! Bicyclist killed in 2nd Hit & Run on a bicyclist in two days

The Star Ledger reported on Thursday that the drive involved in this hit and run was arrested after police came to his home.  "Tips from the public led authorities to Sean Gieda’s home on Holman Court, in Bridgewater where they found a vehicle that had damage near the front passenger side headlight and a plastic garbage bag taped to the passenger side of the windshield."  We extend our condolences to the family of Ramiro Navarro who was the cyclist killed in this crash.


The Star Ledger reported on Tuesday August 16th of a second hit and run on a bicyclists in a mater of two days.  Even more unfortunate, this crash was fatal, happening on East Main Street in Bridgewater, NJ near the Somerset County Maintenance Garage between 2am and 6am on Tuesday morning.


Approximate location of the fatal hit & run on East Main Street in Bridgewater.  View Larger Map

Like the hit and run crash that happened on NJ Route 27 on Monday, East Main Street in Bridgewater (between Somerville and Bound Brook) is also a four lane road with somewhat narrow lanes, no shoulders and a 45mph speed limit. However having ridden on East Main Street many times to commute to work, I can say that the asphalt is in much better condition than Rt 27. Also, East Main Street doesn't carry the traffic volume of Rt 27 and it is questionable whether the road warrants four lanes versus two lanes with shoulders and maybe a center turn lane (aka a road diet).

As a cyclist with many thousands of miles and several decades of experience, and a League Cycling Instructor, the one roadway scenario that really sends a shiver down my spine is riding on four lane arterial roadways with no shoulders and high speed limits.  Despite my training, experience and current good fitness, I feel exceptionally exposed while riding on roads like this and do everything I can to avoid them but sometimes you simply have no choice.  Since most four lames roads like this could be reduced to three (2 travels lanes and a center turn lane) along with shoulders or, better yet, bike lanes without reducing the roadway's ability to handle an equal amount of traffic volume, is it possible that these two victims could have been saved their tragic fates?

Tri-State releases Most Dangerous Roads for Walking - 2011

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign released its third edition of its report titled The Region's Most Dangerous Roads for Walking (2011).  Included with the 10 page report are a series of factsheets for each county in the area that the TSTC covers along with links to interactive Google maps showing the locations of the crashes and the hotspot roadways.  New Jersey gets special consideration by TSTC as it is the only state to have the crash data for all of its counties broken down.  


This map Middlesex Ped Fatals 2007-2009 is a sample of the interactive maps produced by TSTC.

While another superb report by TSTC, I have two small nits to pick with the rankings and the report itself. The report ranks the level of danger of a roadway by using the gross number of fatalities on a roadway without considering the length of the roadway.  I think knowing “fatalities per mile of roadway” is a much better metric for ranking the true danger each roadway presents to pedestrians.  Yes, 130 in Burlington County has a great number of pedestrian fatalities and this fact is of great cause for concern but it is also a fairly long stretch of roadway.  It may be that there are other roadways with less fatalities but are also shorter in length and therefore pose a greater threat to pedestrians per mile.

Also, the report is somewhat light on analysis.  The report does make some insightful observation, including:

• that 2/3rds of pedestrian fatalities happen on multi-lane roadways with higher speed limits,
• that these roadways often have little in accommodations for pedestrians,
• yet these roadways also have a great number of destinations that attract pedestrians.

However that is about the extent of it. There is no analysis into the cause of the crashes or the prevailing type of crash scenario.  I expected the interactive map to have more detailed information about the crashes (such as time of day, if the driver was drunk, if the pedestrian was drunk, was it a hit-and-run, was the pedestrian walking down the street, crossing the street, presence of a sidewalk, crosswalk, etc,.) possibly even a copy of the crash report but all that was given is the age of the pedestrian and the crash date.

Still, all this additional information may not even be necessary.  Just synthesizing the spacial relationship of crash locations alone and the ages of the victims paints a shockingly clear picture of where scares resources need to go.  The report is already having the desired effect of getting picked up in the local media as the examples here, here and here demonstrate.  Yet, I can't help but to want to know more.

December a bad month for pedestrians in New Jersey

As we celebrate the holiday season with our families and friends, and begin to reflect on this past year, there will many families questioning the blessings of this season as they deal with the tragic and seaming senseless loss of loved ones killed or injured during December.

I bring this up today because I picked up my local weekly paper and read about an 86 year old man who was killed crossing US 1 at an intersection in North Brunswick I often use to cross the highway when riding my bike around town. Wanting to see if I could find out more about what happened to this poor gentleman I did a quick search for the term "pedestrian" in the local New Jersey news. Unfortunately the number of pedestrian crashes I came across was very disheartening. On top of that, I noticed that a vast majority of the victims were either over the age of 60 or children.

However, what is the equally disturbing is continued tone, in many of the stories, that seem to blame the victim, along with forum comments that do so outright. Yes! Many times pedestrians can make foolish moves. We've all seen people that seem to willfully dare us to hit them while we are behind the wheel. And we've all have come close to making big mistakes on the road whether on foot, on a bike or in a car. However, being a pedestrian wearing dark clothing is not a crime nor should it ever be a a quick and easy excuse for a driver in a crash (admittedly, crosswalks with lighting to maximize a driver's ability to see pedestrians are far and few). And merely trying to cross a certain street at a certain location during a certain time is also not a crime but actual comments like, "Only a fool would attempt to cross the highway at the time of day" (source) continue in the on-line forums.

Only thing that we can do is to keep trying to make New Jersey a safer place for those who get about without a car. Hopefully the New Year will prove better then the last.

The story links are below:

Elderly pedestrian is struck, killed on Route 1 in North Brunswick
The Star-Ledger • Monday, December 13, 2010

Pedestrian fatally struck by carjacked vehicle in East Orange during police chase is identified
The Star-Ledger • Friday, December 17, 2010

After being hit by car, Bayonne woman on the mend
The Jersey Journal • Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sadly, another death on the road
Daily Record • Monday, December 20, 2010

Dover, NJ: Pedestrian struck crossing Route 46
Daily Record • Monday, December 13, 2010

Manchester pedestrian dies from injuries suffered in accident
Asbury Park Press • Monday, December 20, 2010

Marlton woman, 42, hit by car on Route 70
Courier Post • Thursday, December 23, 2010

Pedestrian struck outside Hillsborough Municipal Complex
Courier News • Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hillsborough accident seriously injures pedestrian, 46, on Route 206
Courier News • Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ewing pedestrian suffers broken leg; pinned under car after icy collision
The Times of Trenton Thursday, December 2, 2010

Pedestrian hit by car remains hospitalized
The Record • Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Pedestrian struck by car dies from injuries
Wayne Today • Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Pedestrian hit by alleged drunk driver"
Belleville Times • Friday, December 17, 2010

East Rutherford resident killed over the weekend
South Bergenite • Tuesday, December 21, 2010
(comments informative)

"West Milford boy, 12 injured crossing road"
Suburban Trends • Sunday, December 19, 2010

Lakeland student remains at trauma center
Suburban Trends • Wednesday, December 15, 2010
(approximate crash site)

Pedestrian struck in Fair Lawn
The Record • Saturday, December 4, 2010

2 teen pedestrians struck by car in Fair Lawn
The Record • Thursday, December 2, 2010

Three teens hit by vehicles in Ridgewood on Friday afternoon
The Ridgewood News • Friday, December 3, 2010

Ped fatalities are up: NJN coverage says distracted peds are to blame

According to the Tuesday, December 29th edition of NJN News, "distractions... by pedestrians ...are the main problem" leading to the increase in pedestrian fatalities (news report starts at 8min 14sec).

NJN reports that, according to a recent report by the NJ State Police* one of the reasons (others not fully explored by NJN) why pedestrian fatalities are up is that pedestrians are distracted by, phones, PDA's, MP3 players, etc.

Further in the NJN report they interview Tracy Noble of AAA Mid-Atlantic Region offices talks about "walking while distracted" however she also gets in a few seconds to talk about need for proper engineering that includes the needs of pedestrians.

The NJN report goes on to also interview Trenton Police Detective Rick Rivera who also talks almost exclusively about distracted or obstinate pedestrians. However, streetwise Trenton crossing guard, Antonio Wiley is able to get a quick quip in about drivers not respecting his authority and the pedestrians' right-of-way.

Now, I'm not at all saying that pedestrians are 100% innocent. We all know there is and have seen some really bad pedestrian behavior out on the streets. I am absolutely sure that many pedestrian crashes and fatalities are totally the fault of an obstinate and/or distracted pedestrians even on streets where all the best pedestrian facilities were provided.

However the tone of this article is completely unbalanced and sends a message that places most if not all of the blame for the rise in deaths on the pedestrians themselves. Not once, save for crossing guard Wiley, is there ever a mention of driver behavior being a cause.

For a comparison take a look at The Record's coverage of the same topic from the same date. While touching upon a pedestrian's responsibility while negotiating traffic, it in no way lays the blame at the feet of pedestrians the way NJN did.

As a avid follower of NJN News, I expected better of them.


* - Unable to locate cited report online so to provide link.

Trash Talk: Press of AC editor blames peds / State for increase in deaths

On Sunday, The Press of Atlantic City ran an article about the continued high number of pedestrian deaths this year. Pedestrian fatalities are likely to overtake last years numbers which were again higher than the number of pedestrian fatalities in 2007. Sad as it is, as of November 28th there were 24 more pedestrian fatalities then the same date in 2008 (actual number of pedestrian fatalities for year up to 11/28 not given).

However, according to The Press's editor, Jim Perskie, fault lies with the pedestrian victims and State Department of Highway Traffic Safety for initiating the wildly successful Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Program in South Jersey this year. See, according to Perskie's twisted logic, now that the police are reestablishing a pedestrian's right-of-way while in a crosswalk, this is somehow emboldening pedestrians to walk directly out into traffic so they get hit by cars who can not stop in time. Ridiculous!

First of all, being a devout reader of the NJ Bicycle and Pedestrian News Digest, I have not anecdotally noticed an outstanding increased trend in pedestrian fatal crashes by people walking out into traffic at crosswalks. Yes, there have been stories of pedestrians being killed while crossing legally in crosswalks but no noticeable spike.

Second, (sorry to break it to you Jimmy) but yielding (or stopping) for pedestrians is the law in every state in the U.S. and in most other civilized nations and is not some wacky idea that bureaucrats though up in Trenton. It's been the law here in New Jersey for 50 years.

Now stop for a second Jimmy. This might come as a surprise, but did you ever think that it might be the bad, reckless, if not homicidal behavior of New Jersey drivers that is to blame? Jim all you would have had to do is shut it for a moment to wait for the story to come over the wire the same day you wrote your piece, to read about the Air Force fighter pilot killed in Cherry Hill while working in his front yard by a driver who was speeding excessively.

While yes, there are jerks that dare drivers to hit them as they jaywalk into traffic, I'd suggest Jim, that before you make wild accusations from your position of influence, try to have more than your clear biases to back you up. We at WalkBikeJesey will keep an eye on you, particularly since this is not the first time you had something less than flattering to say about bicyclists or pedestrians.

In case Jim Perskie's editorial is pulled from the web we've included it verbatim below:

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

There have been 24 more pedestrian deaths in New Jersey so far this year than in 2008 — and traffic-safety officials can’t figure out why.

“We’ve thrown the kitchen sink at it,” said Pam Fischer, director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

Do you think it might have something to do with the increased enforcement of a decades-old law that gives pedestrians the right of way when in a crosswalk? The law was virtually ignored for years. Whatever the statutes said, pedestrians were taught to stop, look both ways and wait until no cars were coming. It worked pretty well. Then the state started handing out grants for enforcing the crosswalk law — in the name of pedestrian safety, if you can believe it.

All of a sudden, streets were full of pedestrians stepping into crosswalks — and into traffic. Why not? The cars have to stop to let you cross. The law says so. The signs say so. Except they don’t. Not always, or even often. Sometimes a car headed in one direction stops. But the car headed in another doesn’t. And any car that does stop to let a pedestrian cross runs the risk of getting rear-ended.

The Press has run dozens of letters pointing out how dangerous this law is. A friend who is a police officer stopped me on the street to tell me how dangerous this law is.

Everybody seems to get it except state traffic officials.

The kitchen sink isn’t working, folks.

Go back to teaching pedestrians to look both ways and wait for traffic to clear before crossing, and who knows? Just maybe fewer pedestrians will get killed.

Camille Savoy's Killer Gets off Scot-Free

Benepe's Bicycle Blog is reporting that the killer of NYC cyclist, Camille Savoy got off scot-free in a New Jersey court even though the evidnece indicated that the driver was a foot and a half over the fog line when she hit him in the shoulder of Rt 9 in Alpine.

Even a pathetic careless driving ticket couldn't stick to this killer!

Would the results have been the same if she killed the driver of another car?!?!

Extra Deadly / Dangerous Week for Peds & Bikes

This has been an exceptionally deadly week for pedestrians on New Jersey's roads. A total of 6 Deaths! Most disgusting is the first story about how thieves used a stolen car to rundown and kill an 87yo man for his hard earned money. The rest aren't any better (if they ever could).


Garfield man dies from head injuries in hit-and-run robbery
Jersey Journal • Friday, December 12, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/6nyvhh

Rahway woman, 92, struck Monday by SUV backing out of driveway dies
Home News Tribune • Wednesday, December 17, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/496nnu

Pedestrian dies in Morristown hit-and-run crash, driver charged
The Star-Ledger • Sunday, December 14, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5o84kz

Woman hit by school bus in Lacey dies
Asbury Park Press • Wednesday, December 17, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/3ktwoj

North Plainfield police trying to ID accident victim
The Star-Ledger • Friday, December 12, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5hht92

Galloway Township woman killed by car while walking along Moss Mill Road
The Press of Atlantic City • Friday, December 12, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/4z7c7f

Man is seriously injured in hit-and-run in Newark
The Star-Ledger • Sunday, December 14, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/6oj7nw

Disabled Man and His Dog Victims of Hit and Run
NBC News 10 Philadelphia • Monday, December 15, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/4su3bj

Egg Harbor Township Car hits bicyclist along Zion Road (1st article)
&
Pedestrians hit in crosswalk (2nd article)
The Press of Atlantic City • Monday, December 15, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5xnbrt

Pedestrian hit in Chatham
Daily Record • Saturday, December 13, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/3qmzz8


And BTW. All stories have been gathered by the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center and are released via email listserve at least once a week in their New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian News Digest. It's a great resource for those who want to stay abreast of all that is bike/ped in New Jersey (along with our blog of course) and signing up is very easy.

To give you an idea the latest digest covers the past six days, had 42 articles / links, 31 of which are New Jersey only stories. Nearly every digest is as comprehensive.