National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Notes. Review of studies on pedestrian and bicyclist safety, 1991-2007.

Traffic Safety Administration, in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. If trade names, manufacturers' names, or specific products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential to the object of the publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. This report reviews the pedestrian and bicyclist safety research literature in print as of 2007. It summarizes and synthesizes the key studies, evaluates existing knowledge and identifies research gaps and provides recommendations for future direction. The review includes studies identified through searches of the TRIS, TRANSDOC, IRRD, PubMed, PsychLit, and SafetyLit automated databases and through contacts with research institutions and researchers. It also draws on the background papers and recommendations from the April 2000 NHTSA/FHWA Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Planning Research Workshops and from the Bicycle Safety 2000 Conference. Studies are organized into areas highlighting studies on pedestrian safety with emphasis on demographic characteristics, high-risk environemnts, travel behavior, injury typing and injury profiles and others. Similar grouping is made for studies on bicyclist safety. Background In 2009, 4,092 pedestrians and 630 bicyclists were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, representing a decrease of 7% and 12%, respectively, compared to 2008, and a decrease of 14% and 9%, respectively compared to 2000 figures. Additionally, an estimated 59,000 pedestrians and 51,000 bicyclists were also injured in 2009. In the same year, pedestrians and bicyclists combined accounted for 14% of traffic fatalities and 5% of traffic injuries, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These figures describe only traffic injuries and fatalities, and exclude injuries and fatalities from crashes occurring in private roadways, such as parking lots, bicycle and pedestrian trails, driveways, and similar locations. Additionally, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, especially lower-severity injuries, frequently are not reported to the police as traffic crashes, thus not counted towards the official traffic crash statistics. Objectives and methods This report reviews the pedestrian and bicyclist safety research literature from 1991 to 2007, highlighting key studies. The pedestrian and bicyclist research study review included studies that emphasize behavioral approaches to pedestrian and bicyclist safety published within this time frame. Foreign …