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Pedestrian Peril
It had just finished raining on the night of December 19 last year and Lawrence Sullivan, 56, was on his way toward Mansfield, Massachusetts. Heading north on Route 140 in his Honda Civic, Sullivan was traveling under the speed limit when he felt and heard a sudden impact. Slamming on the brakes, he came to a stop. Moments later, he realized that he had struck two pedestrians: a 78-year-old woman and her son, 45.The two had left Alberto's Italian Kitchen and were walking to a mobile home park across the street. After investigating, police declined to press charges. "There was nothing the driver did that was incorrect or improper," says patrolman David Ruskey. "Several other witnesses said they couldn't see the pedestrians either."
That section of Route 140 has no sidewalk, crosswalks or intersections. What's more, the road is only lit on one side -- the side opposite Alberto's. "People walk across that busy road every day, all day long," says Alberto's manager Brett Becker. "There needs to be a crosswalk or something."
But that would be no guarantee of safety. Though most pedestrians are hit while jaywalking, 1,700 people were killed in crosswalks from 1998 to 2001. Studies show that many pedestrians enter crosswalks with a false sense of security, believing that vehicles will stop no matter what. They often don't.
Lighting at crosswalks is frequently to blame. Put a pedestrian in dark clothing at a poorly lit intersection on a dark night and you're asking for trouble, says Dinh-Zarr. And aging baby boomers will once again be at a disadvantage as their eyesight deteriorates: The average 75-year-old needs at least three times more light than a 25-year-old to see the same objects.
Dean Johnson has started The Sandy Johnson Foundation to educate drivers about dangerous roads and to ensure that the problems are corrected. "Our highway system should be constructed in such a way that it does not cause simple driver error to turn catastrophic," he says. Johnson plans to create an online database of dangerous intersections nationwide.
AAA's Dinh-Zarr sees traffic safety as a public health issue. "It's the big challenge for the 21st century," she says. "We must view crashes as deadly diseases and work to eradicate them before they take hold. The safety of our roads themselves remains the missing piece of our vaccine."
| Curing Sick Roads |
| What can you do to fix dangerous roads in your area? AAA has compiled this list of the top-ten improvements to help turn killer roads into safer roads. When you see hazardous conditions, complain. Take pictures of the problem and send them to your highway department or the local agency responsible for your roads. Be specific in what you want, but remember that the experts may have a better fix for the problem. If you get rebuffed, contact local newspapers or TV stations or your local AAA chapter. 1. Larger and simpler road signs, in highly reflective materials. 2. Crosswalks with reflective pavement markings, and countdown signals to help pedestrians know if they have enough time to cross. 3. Left-turn lanes. 4. Larger stop signs. 5. Better lighting on both highways and city streets. 6. Brighter pavement markings for lanes and road edges. 7. Larger traffic-signal heads and "all red" periods to allow a margin of error at intersections. 8. Large and clear signs well ahead of entrance and exit ramps on highways. 9. Clearly marked work zones. 10. Changeable message signs to inform drivers of new road conditions and situations. |
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