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Be Alert and Share the Road
While your residents are enjoying summer weather, do they know what to look out for? Here are summer safety messages for a variety of audiences.
All Motorists:
- Watch out for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. They’re not as easy to see as a car or truck and you are likely to be looking for other cars. Respect them and share the road.
- Watch out for children playing. Remember, children often act before thinking and may dart into the roadway without warning.
- Obey railroad crossing signs and never drive around a crossing gate.
- When approaching a rail crossing, always expect a train.
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Bicycles: Fighting Traffic and Pollution, Increasing Safety
Earth Force, a leading environmental youth organization, and the Youth Bicycle Education Network (YBEN), an international organization that targets at-risk youth in urban areas, are working to help young people make their communities more bike friendly. While bicy-cling is healthy exercise and bicycling can help make cities "healthier" by decreasing traffic, congestion and pollution, efforts to increase bicycling can’t ignore bicycle safety. NHTSA and the League of American Bicyclists and YBEN are developing a pilot program to address bicycle safety for youth in urban areas. Earth Force has developed a two-year National Get Out Spoke’n! Campaign for young members, ages 10 to 16, to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion while making their communities safer and easier for bicycle transportation.
For more information about YBEN, contact Charles Hammond at 317-253-3632 or chammond@iupui.edu. For more information about Earth Force, contact:
Earth Force
1908 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
Phone: 800-23-FORCE
E-mail: getoutspoken@earthforce.org
Web: http://www.earthforce.org
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Motorcyclists and Bicyclists:
- Many people will bypass the automobile for the feel of the open road – by motorcycle or bicycle. Remember that other drivers may not see you as easily as an automobile.
- Bike safely. Stay alert at all times.
- See and be seen. Dress to be seen – wear fluorescent or light colors during the day and reflective materials in the evening and at night.
- Remember that a helmet is your most important piece of safety equipment.
- Know and obey the rules of the road.
For more information, see 10 Smart Routes to Bicycle Safety, Along for the Ride Safety Tips for Cyclists, and Increasing Motorcycle Awareness in Program Publications for Planner 19.
Urban Bicyclists:
- Summer in the city creates a unique set of bicycle safety concerns. NHTSA’s new Community Youth Bicycle Initiative helps urban bicyclists tackle these issues; see Program Publications for Planner 19.
Older Pedestrians:
- When walking in unfamiliar places, older adults need to pay special attention to pedestrian safety practices. See Walking Through the Years- Pedestrian Safety for Older Adults, in Program Publications for Planner 19.
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