There are many approaches that agencies and organizations can take to analyze pedestrian and bicycle safety and identify and address safety needs. For example, some cities and states have initiated pedestrian or bicyclist safety audits, an unbiased evaluation of the walking and biking environment, which can be performed before, during, or after the construction of a project. Surveys of road user safety and perception of risks are another common tool, often used in broader public engagement and planning processes. The Highway Safety Manual provides an established process for transportation agencies to consider safety improvements. The Manual is complemented by the Crash Modification Factor Clearinghouse, an online resource updated with the latest research on the effectiveness of countermeasures. There are many other resources available that can complement or enhance safety evaluations. 

NCHRP Research Report 893: Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analysis provides guidance on how communities can proactively identify sites for potential safety improvements using a systemic approach, as opposed to a "hot spot" approach. This systemic approach can identify safety solutions as sites across a network before crashes occur. 

Often, more robust safety analyses require more or better data, so tools such as Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT), FHWA's Guide for Scalable Risk Assessment Methods for Pedestrians and Bicyclists, or NCHRP Report 797: Guidebook on Pedestrian and Bicycle Volume Data Collection can be used to enhance data quality. For more information on volume data see Counting and Estimating Volumes. See also the National Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Data Clearinghouse for data availability.

Resources

Disaster Relief Mobilization Study: Content for Report to Congress
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Summarizes the work and findings of the Disaster Relief Mobilization Study in a report to Congress.

Complete Streets—Safety Analysis
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Identifies and describes current capabilities, best practices, and future data and analysis needs for quantifying the safety performance effects of multiple safety treatments.

Vehicle Assessment Using Integrated Crash Avoidance and Crashworthiness Pedestrian Safety Test Procedures
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Summarizes pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB) and crashworthiness (CW) test protocols, assessing vehicle safety systems' potential to reduce pedestrian risk in pedestrian-vehicle crashes.

Why Bicycles are Great for Police and First Responders
Police
Describes multiple advantages of using bikes in public safety and announces the release of the International Police Mountain Bike Association Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling, third edition.

Safe System Roadway Design Hierarchy Tool
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Introduces a tool to prioritize roadway design strategies that align with the Safe System Approach.

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Examples

Saving Lives with Connectivity: A Plan to Accelerate V2X Deployment
US Department of Transportation (USDOT)
Presents a plan to accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-everything technology, enabling vehicles to communicate wirelessly with other road users and roadside infrastructure. 

Separated Bike Lanes—Making Roads Safer for Bicyclists
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Describes how separated bike lanes are making roads safer for bicyclists and impacts of these efforts in Richmond, VA.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center 2023 Annual Report
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Provides an overview of advancements in pedestrian and bicyclist safety through 2023 and PBIC's contributions to these efforts.

Noteworthy Practice: Equity Approaches for Vision Zero: San Francisco
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Offers a case study on equity considerations in San Francisco CA using equity data to inform Vision Zero Network.

Noteworthy Practice: MnDOT’s SPACE Tool: Using Equity Data to Inform Active Transportation Safety
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Offers a case study on equity considerations in Minnesota DOT using equity data to inform active transportation safety.

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