Pedestrian Fatalities

Bike and Bus Lane

Lack of Traffic Safety Enforcement Blamed for Vision Zero Failures

Education, engineering, and enforcement are the three "e's" of Vision Zero in San Francisco. A lack of on of those "e's"—enforcement—might explain why more people are dying on the city's streets this year that any year since the city adopted Vision Z

September 2, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Cadillac Escalade

British Researchers Sound the Alarm About the Dangers of Large SUVs

These researchers call for dangerous, large-sized SUVs to be removed from the road.

August 19, 2019 - Forbes

Sports Utility Vehicle

SUVs Kill Pedestrians—and They Have for a Long Time

While much focus is on the future of autonomous vehicles, the increase in pedestrian deaths related to SUVs remains a largely ignored issue.

July 15, 2019 - Slate

Pedestrian Safety

Bill Would Spend Five Percent of All Federal Highway Grants on Complete Streets

New federal legislation would establish a national complete streets program.

July 12, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Traffic Safety

U.S. Pedestrian Fatalities Rise, While European Pedestrian Fatalities Fall

Europe proves to Americans that when it comes to pedestrian fatalities, it doesn't have to be this way.

July 5, 2019 - City Observatory

Traffic Safety Advocates

An Investigation of the Nation's Increasing Number of Pedestrian Fatalities

PBS New Hour takes a deep dive into the climbing number of pedestrian deaths in the United States—now at their highest level in almost three decades.

June 20, 2019 - PBS News Hour

Biking Los Angeles

L.A. Failing to Reach Vision Zero Goals

The city has seen a rise in car crash deaths since implementing its Vision Zero initiative. Advocates say not enough action is being taken to make streets safer.

May 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle Downtown

Pedestrian Head Starts Key to Vision Zero Goals in Seattle

Seattle is working toward its Vision Zero goals, after a year in which most people killed by drivers in the city were pedestrians.

March 13, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Did Uber Just Get Away With Manslaughter?

Remember Elaine Herzberg, the 49-year-old woman who became the first pedestrian fatality due to an autonomous vehicle when she was hit last March by an Uber with a safety driver in Tempe, Ariz.? Prosecutors found no criminal liability.

March 8, 2019 - The New York Times

Pedestrians

Pedestrian Deaths Last Year Projected to Be Highest Since 1990

Among the factors that stand out in the "Spotlight on Highway Safety" report released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association is increased "death by SUV," which kill at a higher rate than cars. Distraction, however, is hard to prove.

March 4, 2019 - USA Today

Cincinnati Road

Cincinnati Announces Pedestrian Safety Plans

The mayor wants to implement a series of measures to eliminate traffic fatalities and make city streets safer for pedestrians.

January 27, 2019 - Cincinnati CityBeat

Pedestrians and Cars

Despite Reports, Federal Safety Officials Didn't Act on Danger of SUVs to Pedestrians

A 2015 NHTSA report showed that pedestrians were multiple times more likely to die if struck by SUVs, but that information was neither shared nor acted upon.

July 20, 2018 - The Detroit Free Press

School bus with stop sign

Pennsylvania Bill Would Allow Automated Cameras to Catch Drivers Passing School Buses Illegally

The Pennsylvania Senate Transit Committee approved a bill to allow for photo enforcement to catch drivers making illegal passes that could endanger children in front of school buses.

May 18, 2018 - Trib Live

Pedestrians

Insurance Institute: Pedestrian Fatalities Jump 46 Percent from 2009

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study on May 8 that attributes the increased number of pedestrians killed in part to road design that allows for higher speeds, fewer intersections and pedestrian crossings and more SUVs.

May 9, 2018 - The Washington Post

Crash

Hit-and-Run Traffic Fatalities Reach Record High

Over 2,000 people died from hit-and-run collisions on American roads in 2016, the highest since 2009, claiming a disproportionate amount of pedestrian and cyclist lives. One solution: more protected bike lanes.

April 30, 2018 - CBS This Morning

Another Use of Motor Vehicle as a Weapon Leaves 10 Dead, 16 Injured in Toronto

A van driver apparently deliberately mowed down pedestrians on sidewalks and intersections in the North York area of Toronto on Monday. The suspect is in custody. The incident is reminiscent of a similar scene last May in Times Square, Manhattan.

April 24, 2018 - CNN

Daytona

After 34 Years of Complete Streets, Florida Still Deadly for Pedestrians

Florida’s incremental steps toward complete streets have saved thousands of lives, but still left it one of the most dangerous states to walk in.

April 19, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

The Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicle Testing

Autonomous vehicles hold the potential to greatly reduce auto crashes. Advocates want them on the road as early as possible to reduce fatalities. Skeptics worry that the public will be guinea pigs during the testing—case in point: Elaine Herzberg.

April 9, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Text and Drive

Study Finds Rampant Distracted Driving

A study by Zendrive examines how many U.S. drivers can't put down their phones.

March 26, 2018 - Bloomberg

Uber Autonomous Vehicle

Failure of Automated Driving Technology Blamed for First Pedestrian Fatality

Experts who watched the videos taken by onboard cameras equipped in the Volvo SUV that hit Elaine Herzberg determined that Uber's automated driving system failed to perform adequately. The crash points to a need for regulations.

March 25, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.