Advocacy & Safety - Walking more dangerous than cycling

"Pedalcyclists accounted for 13 percent of all nonmotorist traffic
fatalities in 2004. Pedestrians accounted for 84 percent, and the remaining
2 percent were skateboard riders, roller skaters, etc."

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/ncsa/TSF2004/809912.pdf

We need a comprehensive training program warning pedestrians of the dangers of sidewalk strolling.

We need a comprehensive training program warning pedestrians of the dangers of sidewalk strolling.

They should walk in the road, vehicularly of course! How about mandatory helmet laws for peds?

They should walk in the road, vehicularly of course! How about mandatory helmet laws for peds?

You might be on to something Chip, Call it " vehicular walking" or VW for short. You can write a book and charge people $175 a head for a seminar that tells you how to walk down the road.

We need a comprehensive training program warning pedestrians of the dangers of sidewalk strolling.
Not only that, but mandatory helmets are obviously called for by the data. I am sure a close analysis will indicate that ALL the pedestrian casualties were knuckleheaded, Darwin candidates that shunned wearing a helmet despite their power to save lives. No strolling pedestrian wearing a helmet will be found among the stats on accident victims. Hence, PROOF, helmets are the answer to the dangers of sidewalk strolling.

For me the rule of tonnage and the law of the jungle always supercede *my rights*. The strongest (and heaviest) survive. I try never to assume that someone else, especially if they are bigger, (car vs ped or bike, etc) gives a hoot about my rights unless they are showing very obvious signs of allowing me my right of way.

On the roadway, I never try to exert a right that is likely to get me killed.

I looked at the government report. While it gave a rate of 134 injuries per million cyclists for my age group it did not give similar stats for any age for pedestrians. So a good comparison can not be made. It did appear that Florida was the most dangerous place to ride and Rhode Island was the safest. Also it seems that male pedalcyclists are twice as likely, given the same number of participants, to get killed as women.

I looked at the government report. While it gave a rate of 134 injuries per million cyclists for my age group it did not give similar stats for any age for pedestrians. So a good comparison can not be made. It did appear that Florida was the most dangerous place to ride and Rhode Island was the safest. Also it seems that male pedalcyclists are twice as likely, given the same number of participants, to get killed as women.

I wasn't keen on the term 'pedalcyclist' - makes me feel like a foot doctor.

I was going to go one step further and advocate the elimination of sidewalks from our cities. Only through Vehicular Walking training and the proper use of DPLP (Dynamic Pedestrian Lane Positioning) will walking be safer for everyone, including children and seniors. No need to inform motorists though, as they'll understand completely when confronted with the steely-eyed stare of alpha dog pedestrians, side-stepping though traffic at 25mph.

I was going to go one step further and advocate the elimination of sidewalks from our cities. Only through Vehicular Walking training and the proper use of DPLP (Dynamic Pedestrian Lane Positioning) will walking be safer for everyone, including children and seniors. No need to inform motorists though, as they'll understand completely when confronted with the steely-eyed stare of alpha dog pedestrians, side-stepping though traffic at 25mph.

Of course - it's well known that sidewalks give the impression that pedestrians are sub-class citizens, it's segregation I tell you, it should be illegal! Get off the sidewalk Granny! Put on your helmet, get out there on the roadways and assert your rights! :rolleyes:

This thread gives a whole new spin to "power walking". :lol:

When on the road, peds should equip with mirrors, reflectors, flashlights and blinkies. :D

This thread gives a whole new spin to "power walking". :lol:
Yeah, that's the ticket for Real Walking. Speed and Efficiency über alles.

Don't forget : Pain IS Gain
http://images.animationfactory.com/imagedir/animations/people_a_l/girl_young/asia_woman_tattoo_power_walking/asia_woman_tattoo_power_walking_lg_wm.gif

I have tons of close encounters with cars whne wqlkin drivers do not give the rightaway turn without looking and so on. my blind wife have a hell of a time.

On a normal drive into work at 11pm I won't see anybody walking. Tonight, after 7 inches of snow, and still snowing, I encountered FOUR people walking in the road. What the **** ??? I didn't see any stuck cars, nobody out of gas. 11pm on a snowy night is a good time to go out for a stroll ???

:(

jw

I confess that a couple of times when I was walking on a crowded sidewalk, I caught myself looking for my mirror.

I confess that a couple of times when I was walking on a crowded sidewalk, I caught myself looking for my mirror.
I do that all the time. That and the quick shoulder check when changing lanes on the sidewalk.

I have tons of close encounters with cars whne wqlkin drivers do not give the rightaway turn without looking and so on. my blind wife have a hell of a time.
There's an elderly lady I see along one leg of my commute route, that walks with a sawed off broom handle in her hand. I'm guessing she gives cars getting too close a whack with it.

There's an elderly lady I see along one leg of my commute route, that walks with a sawed off broom handle in her hand. I'm guessing she gives cars getting too close a whack with it.
Don't cycle too close either or you might be doing a cartwheel with that broom handle in your front spokes (or worse).

"Pedalcyclists accounted for 13 percent of all nonmotorist traffic
fatalities in 2004. Pedestrians accounted for 84 percent, and the remaining
2 percent were skateboard riders, roller skaters, etc."

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/ncsa/TSF2004/809912.pdf

According to our provincial insurer (ICBC), commuter cyclists make up 2% of traffic volume (and according to the National Bicycle dealers Association, commuter cyclists make up only 5% of the cycling population), but all cyclists are involved in only 1% of traffic collisions.

Each year about twice the number of pedestrians are hit by cars than cyclists hit by cars, but the mortality rate of pedestrians hit by cars is more than 10 times greater than cyclists hit by cars.

Almost as bad as the pedestrians who die are the ones who survive. It's too bad the only automobile safety that is ever considered is to those on the inside.

It's too bad the only automobile safety that is ever considered is to those on the inside.
Too right.
I saw a car commercial featuring a car that had 'pedestrian protective panels'. I had to think, "Is that feature to protect the ped from the car, or more likely, the car from the ped?"

I'm wondering why everyody finds it so hilarious that thousands of pedestrians are killed every year. I guess it's especially funny that a lot of these people are kids and the elderly.

I walk sometimes, and I've always thought it's more dangerous than riding. The biggest problem is cagers making turns (right or left) while a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Another big danger is motorists backing out of driveways and parking spaces. Even if the only walking you do is in the parking lot at Walmart's, this last issue should be of personal concern.

I'm wondering why everyody finds it so hilarious that thousands of pedestrians are killed every year.
Perhaps if you weren't proud of ignoring what you don't like to read you would know the context; until then keep wondering.

I'm wondering why everyody finds it so hilarious that thousands of pedestrians are killed every year. I guess it's especially funny that a lot of these people are kids and the elderly.

I don't think that's the case, but I do find it odd that people often can't see the obvious displyed right in front of them, instead, they point to something that's different and become afraid of that.

My mother thinks bicycling and motorcycling are extremely dangerous, especially in an urban environment. She drives her car to work and for shopping purposes and does a lot of walking in a downtown area. She rarely would look across the street when crossing, often jumps off the curb without even noticing if she has the signal in her favor, and doesn't think twice about pedestrian safety...until I started pointing out how dangerous her behavior was, in which case she started paying more attention for a few hours. Now she is back to the same behavior of not paying attention and expecting automobile drives to stop for her - it's a miracle she hasn't been in an accident herself in her 60 years.

Somebody point me to the part that says walking is more dangerous than cycling?

I walk sometimes, and I've always thought it's more dangerous than riding. The biggest problem is cagers making turns (right or left) while a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Another big danger is motorists backing out of driveways and parking spaces. Even if the only walking you do is in the parking lot at Walmart's, this last issue should be of personal concern.

I walk a lot and I've actually noticed the opposite. Because my speed is so much lower when walking and because I walk 'against' traffic, I find it easier to react to someone about to turn right in front of me or someone backing up. Also, for some reason, drivers notice me more as a pedestrian than a cyclist.

I walk a lot and I've actually noticed the opposite. Because my speed is so much lower when walking and because I walk 'against' traffic, I find it easier to react to someone about to turn right in front of me or someone backing up. Also, for some reason, drivers notice me more as a pedestrian than a cyclist.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just more nervous when I'm walking, but I feel the number of close calls, while low, is much higher than when I'm riding.

Also, I've had the irate motorist stop his car in the intersection and come at me with fists raised when I was walking, not when I was riding.

Geography does make a difference here too. In most parts of Michigan, drivers expect peds to wait until there is no traffic before they step into the crosswalk. In many places, peds start crossing when they reach the intersection and cars will stop for them. One time, years ago in grad school, I was walking across campus in East Lansing with a classmate from Berkely, CA. She walked right in front of cars into a crosswalk. I grabbed her and pulled her back. She was surprised, "They would have stopped for me." "No," I told her, "around here they would not be expecting you to walk out like that until after traffic cleared."