Future Resources From NHTSA

Volume 3, Number 3 - April 2000

NHTSA, in collaboration with a variety of partners, is involved in a number of projects that promise to result in valuable resources for pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle safety. The following is a list of resources that will be available in the future from NHTSA and its collaborators. Future issues of BSC will provide information on how to obtain these resources when they become available.

Research and evaluation studies have shown that peer education, in which young people teach skills to other young people, is an effective tool for programs designed to prevent violence and the abuse of alcohol and other drugs. With funding from NHTSA, the National Peer Helpers Association is developing the Bicycle Safety Peer Program (BSPP), which will allow educational institutions and community groups to integrate this important educational process into the issue of bicycle safety. The National Peer Helpers Association is currently piloting the program in two different settings. In Birmingham, Alabama, middle school students are being trained to teach elementary school students about bicycle safety and helmets. At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, upper-level students are teaching incoming students about bicycle safety as part of freshman orientation. This project should result in effective bicycle safety education for two age groups that are especially susceptible to the influence of slightly older peers.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT) is a software package for personal computers that can categorize a community's pedestrian and bicycle crashes, using crash data from local police departments. The software allows users to track crash patterns by location, characteristics of the individuals involved, road conditions, and visibility, and can also suggest countermeasures for crash types. For example, if the software reveals that a community has a problem with mid-block dart-out's (in which children run into the road from between parked cars and are struck by motorists who cannot see them until it is too late to stop), the software might suggest that parking be restricted in these areas (to increase visibility) and/or that local schools implement pedestrian safety training for their students.

NHTSA and the Pedestrian-Bicycle Technical Information Center are producing a Bikeability Checklist that citizens can use to assess the "bikeability" of their communities. The checklist will suggest resources and include a list of actions for making a community more "bicycle friendly." The Bikeability Checklist will be similar to the existing Walkability Checklist, available online at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/safesobr/OPlanner/ncpsw/walk1.html.

The increasing use of bicycles as patrol vehicles by police officers provides an opportunity for these officers to both model and teach bicycle safety in their communities. Cops on Bikes, a soon-to-be-available training module, will teach bicycle patrol and other police officers how to be effective spokespersons for bicycle safety. The module will include information on safe riding practices, helmet use, and enforcement strategies, as well as how to use "teachable moments" to promote bicycle safety.

Several NHTSA-funded motorcycle safety demonstration projects are developing resources and tools to make the roads safer for motorcycle operators. The Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center, in collaboration with local rider groups, is sponsoring Dial-A-Ride, a program in which owners of vans with trailers will respond to hotline calls from motorcyclists who have been drinking. The van owners have agreed to transport both the driver and his or her motorcycle home safely.

In Hawaii, researchers are trying to find ways to reach motorcyclists with messages about the dangers of operating their vehicles after drinking. Karl Kim, chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Univesity of Hawaii, home of the project, reports, "As motorcycling increases in popularity, there has also been an increase in the number of alcohol-related motorcycle injuries-unlike other modes of transportation, which have experienced a decrease in these injuries." Kim and his colleagues are trying to find a correlation between alcohol-related motorcycle crashes and knowledge and attitudes among motorcyclists in order to develop more effective safety messages, targeted especially toward two groups at risk for these types of injuries: military personnel and students.

October 4, 2000 is National Walk Our Children to School Day. The August 2000 edition of BSC will provide more news about this event. To begin planning, visit the Partnership for a Walkable America's website at www.nsc.org/walkable.htm or call Harold Thompson at (620) 775-2383.

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