The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently published its new safety performance measures for its national safety program, including bicyclist and pedestrian safety measures.
This is the first time that pedestrians and bicyclists have been included in the program, which encourages regional and state benchmarks to decrease the number of deaths and injuries on U.S. highways.
These latest regulations aim to promote better data gathering and include a consistent definition of the most serious injuries.
“The department has been working hard with communities around the country to reduce the growing number of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “Having a uniform national performance measure will help us all work together to save lives.”
Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau agrees.
“Together, the rules will enhance a data-driven approach to making safety decisions, improve collaboration across a wide range of safety partners and provide transparency for the American public,” Nadeau said. “Most importantly, the rules will help save lives as states set and report on safety targets.”