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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Pedestrians and bicyclists
comprise a significant part of the traffic environment. Bicycles
are a primary mode of transportation for youth 5 to 14 years-old,
as well as a recreational mode of travel for persons of all ages.
In Iowa, from 1990 through 1996, traffic crashes claimed the
lives of an average of seven bicyclists each year and resulted
in injuries to more than 600 pedestrians and bicyclists, annually.
Further, youth 5 to 14 years-old comprise more than 40 percent
of Iowa's bicycle crash fatalities and injuries.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Pedestrian/Bicycle
Safety program, developed by the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety
Bureau and initiated in Fiscal Year 1997, was the reduction of
bicycle and pedestrian crash fatalities and injuries in Iowa.
Objectives of the program were to:
- Establish baseline
data on bicycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities, in order
to aid in developing and tracking the progress of injury prevention
programs
- Encourage the use of
bicycle helmets
- Encourage off-road
bicycling alternatives to reduce vehicle-related crashes involving
a bicyclist
- Develop a comprehensive
package of pedestrian and bicycle safety programs for use in
local communities
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The primary strategy
for addressing the problem of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities
and injuries lay with a partnership developed between the Iowa
Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau and the Iowa Department of Public
Health (IDPH). The two partners created a program which identified
local bicycle clubs as the most likely vehicle for addressing
bicycle safety education and awareness. The plan for the Bicycle/Pedestrian
Safety program involved establishing an annual grant program,
whereby local bicycle clubs would apply to the IDPH for funds
to help underwrite creative and innovative educational programs.
The IDPH pledged to provide additional assistance to successful
applicants by furnishing educational materials and program support
for events. Several examples of programs include:
- The Ottumwa Regional
Health Center distributed 106 bicycle helmets through elementary
schools and bicycle rodeos. The Health Center sponsored a bicycle
rodeo for teaching skills and safety, and also assisted at other
bicycle rodeos sponsored by local organizations, including support
for a rodeo at the Keokuk Expos Fair
- The Adel-DeSoto-Minburn
Talented and Gifted Program distributed 58 helmets to second-grade
students and the sixth-graders who presented safety education
programs to the second-graders. Student participants in a safety
poster contest not receiving a helmet were awarded reflectors.
The middle school attended a Traumatic Injury Prevention (TIPS)
program, and developed an informational sign for the Waukee/Adel
Bike Trail on safety rules and helmet use
- The Cedar Falls Tourism
and Visitor's Bureau sponsored two rodeos in conjunction with
the grand opening of a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. Over 350 children
and their families participated. Each participating child received
an identification tag, and more than 3,000 visitors received
identification tags during the event
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