Piatkowski et al.: Traffic Fatalities in Rural Communities
In Toward a Rural Vision Zero: A Qualitative Exploration of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities in Small-Town and Rural Nebraska, Daniel Piatkowski (Community and Regional Planning, University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Justin McCully (Bike Walk Nebraska), and Melissa Piatkowski (Center for Health Design) investigate how rural communities can become safer for Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) like bicyclists and walkers by exploring the viability of Vision Zero, a movement originating in Sweden focused on eliminating all traffic fatalities through a combination of planning, policy, and engineering.
In 2018, bicycle fatalities rose 6.3% and pedestrian deaths rose 3.4% from 2017 in the United States. Toward a Rural Vision Zero introduces the principles of Vision Zero including the five core tenants of the approach which include the assertion that all traffic deaths are preventable, that approaches must integrate human failing, and a systems approach should be used. The authors explain the first step of Vision Zero is a paradigm shift in traffic safety including “refuting the idea that some traffic fatalities are random accidents and instead recognizing that all fatalities be treated as preventable crashes.”
Relying on data provided by the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s fatal crash database, Toward a Rural Vision Zero analyzes all crashes occurring in counties with fewer than 100,000 people and investigates each of the 67 fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes in the sample by evaluating news articles, legal charges, court documents. Toward a Rural Vision Zero identifies three types of fatal car-on-bike and car-on-pedestrian crashes: (1) crashes in which the driver is determined to have acted negligently, (2) crashes where neither the driver nor the VRU was considered at fault, and (3) crashes that place responsibility for the crash on the VRU. Toward a Rural Vision Zero determines that alcohol or drug use, distraction (including texting), and disobeying traffic laws (including failing to yield and fleeing the scene of the accident) all justify consequences for the driver. While the authors found it was difficult to determine why no fault was assigned in no-fault crashes, the authors did find that the driver’s conduct after a crash was an important factor. Finally, Toward a Rural Vision Zero highlights the one-sided nature of crash reporting and finds the data illustrates the “troubling reality that, in the absence of obvious negligence, crashes are considered accidental, and victims may be blamed for their own death.”
While acknowledging the importance of increased data on crash outcomes, crash frequency, where and when crashes are occurring, and additional factors related to VRU crashes, Toward a Rural Vision Zero provides a starting point for implementing Vision Zero in rural areas by providing a look at crashes in rural communities and discussing how the unique features of small towns and rural areas may be leveraged to create safer communities for all road users.
