H.R. 3355: Older Driver and Pedestrian Safety and Roadway Enhancement Act of 2009 (GovTrack.us)

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a program to improve roadway safety infrastructure in all States to enhance the safety of older drivers and pedestrians, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep. Jason Altmire [D-PA4] Full Text Status: Introduced Jul 27, 2009 Referred to Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Safety for Older Adults—In and Out of the Car

Are you interested in Older Driver Safety? Do you need another reason to focus on keeping older drivers safely behind the wheel as long as possible? US researchers traveling to Japan and Australia to conduct a technology scan were told repeatedly that the risk of injury and death for older road users is much greater as a pedestrian than it is as the operator or passenger of a vehicle. They then explored a range of options that could improve driver safety as well as pedestrian safety—for example, creating separate lanes for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Their findings are summarized in an article in the August 19, 2008 Transportation Research Board e-newsletter, found at http:www.trb.org/news/newsletter.asp?296. Click on “Older Road Users: The International Technology Scanning Program Summary Report” under Federal Research News. Planning, engineering, and design innovations are presented in the report, along with the conclusion that policies and programs that benefit older adults may have begun as improvements for users of all ages and that, conversely, improvements specifically for this age group were actually helpful for users of all ages. Hence, the universal value of infrastructure and policy changes that make roads safer for older pedestrians and drivers.

Pedestrian Safety

Pedestrian safety is a key focus worldwide. Data indicate that, annually: in the European Union about 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed and about 300,000 injured; in North America approximately 5,000 pedestrians are killed and 85,000 injured; in Japan approximately 3,300 pedestrians and cyclists are killed and 27,000 seriously injured; and in South Korea around 3,600 pedestrians are killed and 90,000 injured. The U.S. participated in the International Harmonized Research Activities (IHRA) Pedestrian Safety Working Group (IHRA-PS-WG) as it began to investigate and analyze the latest pedestrian accident data from IHRA member countries in 2001 and continued on to prepare harmonized pedestrian-passenger vehicle test procedures. Following this, separate adult and child head form tests were presented to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) at the end of 2002. Initial leg form tests were proposed in 2004. Since then, the U.S. has been working with representatives from WP.29 and IHRA to refine these testing procedures for inclusion in the GTR. This GTR is expected to improve pedestrian safety by requiring vehicle hoods and bumpers to absorb energy more efficiently when impacted in a 40 kilometer per hour (km/h) vehicle-to-pedestrian impact. These incidents account for more than 75 percent of the pedestrian-injured accidents (AIS 1+) reported by IHRA/PS. The GTR consists of two sets of performance criteria applying to: (a) The hood top and fenders; and (b) the front bumper. Test procedures have been developed using sub-system impacts for adult and child head protection and adult leg protection. In anticipation of the vote to establish a GTR for pedestrian safety, NHTSA is requesting comment from all interested parties.

Pedestrian Safety Guide for Communities

Funding Opportunity Number: DTNH22-08-R-00177 Current Closing Date for Applications: Aug 22, 2008 Expected Number of Awards: 1 Estimated Total Program Funding: $100,000 Award Ceiling: $100,000 Specific Requirements: In fiscal year 2007, The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) input, developed The Pedestrian Safety Guide for Communities (PSGC), designed to be used by anyone who is looking for ways to improve the walkability of their neighborhood, whether they are just beginning to learn about walking safety or are already part of an established community safety group. The guide addresses all three E’s (education, enforcement and engineering) in its suggestions for problem identification, treatments and solutions. The purpose of the resultant Cooperative Agreement is to partner with a National Organization/Agency to award and manage up to 12 mini-grants to pilot test the PSGC. Selected communities will assess its usefulness and completeness of the content, and identify necessary improvements or modifications to the content.