USDOT holds webinar to evaluate bicyclist, pedestrian safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) held a webinar Wednesday to discuss the potential safety issues of bicyclists, pedestrians and large trucks all sharing the same road.

The latest crash data shows that 3,964 people died in crashes that included large trucks in 2013. Of these deaths, 78 rode bicycles while 338 were pedestrians.

Another recent evaluation demonstrated that bicyclist and pedestrian deaths due to crashes including large trucks have risen at the same rate as deaths due to all motor vehicle crashes.

In response, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) employees launched a road safety assessment initiative specifically for pedestrians and bicyclists September 2014. The assessment studied Seattle’s South Of Downtown corridor.

Another significant improvement was made when the National Transportation Systems Center collaborated with the city of Cambridge in Massachusetts to add side-guards to improve the safety of trucks owned by the city.

In order to keep people safe, FMCSA hosted a webinar to study large truck crash fatalities that include bicyclists and pedestrians.