Exploring Risk Factors to Disparities in Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities and Serious Injuries
Source: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States. An extensive body of traffic safety literature explores the roadway design and behavioral contributors to fatal and serious injury crashes. Within this literature, there has been a growing recognition that some populations are significantly more likely to be killed or seriously injured in traffic crashes. In particular, various analyses have demonstrated stark overrepresentation of Black and indigenous people and people with low incomes. These differences in health and safety outcomes across sociodemographic categories are referred to as health disparities, or health inequities, and they are preventable. Through a scoping review of literature and case studies of innovative practices, this report identifies inequitable institutional and infrastructural risk factors that contribute to disparities in fatal and serious injury crashes across five sociodemographic categories: race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, disability, and sex and gender. The report also highlights seven case studies from State, regional, and local agencies and organizations across the United States. The findings inform the development of proven practices for practitioners at Federal, State, regional, and local agencies and their partners to address these inequitable institutional and infrastructural risk factors on the way to achieving the goals of zero deaths from traffic crashes and safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for all people.
