For our public health focus, we
chose to illustrate the importance of crosswalks as an instrumental tool in
saving lives. Crosswalks, which are instituted by law, are the primary focus of
decreasing the amount of preventable injuries and fatalities that occur
each year. According to state law, pedestrians have many options for safely
crossing roads. The first, and most common, is at a marked cross-walk that also
has a signal to let pedestrians know when it is appropriate to cross, at which
pedestrians wait for the walk signal and cars yield to pedestrians that have
this signal. The next is a marked cross-walk without a cross signal in which
pedestrians are given the right-of-way in the state of Florida. Another
crossing method outlined in Florida law is to cross without a cross-walk, a
method in which pedestrians must yield to cars and cross in the most direct way
possible. To avoid accidents, drivers need to remember to slow down once in residential
areas, at intersections and that pedestrians have the right of way at
crosswalks.
Hitting
someone with a car can be a night mare; however it happens many times per year.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, between
2007 and 2008, the rates of pedestrians being killed in Florida have only
decreased from 530 to 502 pedestrians. Specifically in Hillsborough County, as
of 2004, pedestrians to have sustained injuries were 514 and the number of
fatalities was recorded at 40 pedestrians. According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics, a pedestrian is killed every
101 minutes and another is injured every 8 minutes in the United States. In
Florida, almost one out of every five fatalities involves a pedestrian. A
recent Surface Transportation Policy Project report (2000) ranked the Tampa-St.
Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area as the most dangerous place for people
to walk. These statistics show us that there needs to be more strides taken to
continue to decrease these numbers and save more lives in the community.
Even
though the initial introduction of crosswalks has saved many lives, improvements can continue to be made to increase
pedestrian safety. Now, when people use crosswalks you don’t just notice the
little guy that lights up letting you know it is safe to cross, you also hear a
beep allowing those who are visually impaired to cross as well. Beeping
crosswalks have been around for more than twenty years, but are just now
becoming more and more popular. This is a great innovation to the crosswalk
because it allows visually impaired people to become even more independent, not
having to wait for someone to show up to the crosswalk and let them know it is ok
to cross. Another thing that has been invented to further help the visually
impaired cross the street with minimal assistance is a device created by a team
of student from Worcester Polytechnic Institute called “Crosswalk Button
Locator.” Those who use canes or guide dogs can never find the button on the
crosswalk to cross. Therefore, they are often left standing at the crosswalk
for a long time. These students created a device that can go on the end of the
cane or on the guide dog’s collar and it has an antenna in it that communicates
with the crosswalk pole. The device then beeps/buzzes and guides the person to
the button. The estimated cost for this to be put in is about $100 per pole, so
$400 per crosswalk. This money seems like a lot when you add it up, but when
you are talking about saving lives it seems worth it. It is important for
motorists and pedestrians to utilize crosswalks to minimize injuries and
fatalities. Motorists can yield to pedestrians even if they are walking outside
of the crosswalks, and use particular vigilance in residential areas, school
zones, playgrounds and parks. Pedestrians can carefully watch oncoming traffic,
make eye contact, if possible, with the driver of any motor vehicle that is
approaching the crosswalk, and avoid cell phone use or any other form of
distraction. With the proper use of crosswalks we can make the streets safer
for both motorists and pedestrians.
Group Members: Anabelle, Charlotte, Rosanna, Shannon & Jonathan
These crosswalks most definitely save lives every day. In areas as condensed as the Tampa Bay area, they are especially necessary for pedestrians and motorists alike. They keep pedestrians out of harms way, and allow drivers to pay more attention to other dangers on the road. They are critical surrounding schools and universities due to heavy foot traffic, and are helping to keep students safe.
ReplyDeleteBeing someone who uses the crosswalks often I think crosswalks are definitely one of the most important contributions to public health when it comes to safety of walkers. I never realized the importance of the beeping sounds that most crosswalks make but I do agree they are important for the visually impaired. I think the crosswalk button locator is a great idea to further prevent accidents amongst those who need guide dogs.
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