EDITORIAL: Autos getting safer, but walker-cyclist fatalities still rising

Our nation’s automobiles are safer than ever. Most new vehicles have features to reduce the chance of accidents, including cameras that enable drivers to see what’s behind or beside them and sensors that sound when the vehicle nears a person or object. Many automatically brake if a driver gets too close.

Despite those advancements, casualty numbers have trended upward in recent years.

One of those trends is an increase in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. Federal data show those deaths have risen by 64% since 2011. Those are just the fatalities; there’s no telling how many non-fatal injuries pedestrians and cyclists have suffered, as vehicle safety information only accounts for people inside the vehicles, not those they might happen to hit.

Analysts link the rise, and the increase in overall accidents, to data showing that more people are buying large trucks and SUVs, more people are speeding and more people are driving drunk. All those trends are clearly evident in the Rio Grande Valley.

Experts note that larger vehicles have more and larger blind spots than smaller cars; an elevated driver behind a high truck hood might not see cyclists or children walking across the street. Inebriation limits drivers’ ability to react, even if they do see somebody in front of them.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a federal rule that all new cars and light trucks have automatic emergency braking systems that can detect pedestrians, including at night, in hopes of reducing fatalities. Families for Safe Streets, the League of American Bicyclists and other groups are working to raise driver awareness of their surroundings and are stepping up their efforts this month, which is Pedestrian Safety Month.

Reducing pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities requires a greater by everyone involved. Drivers can’t depend on vehicles’ new safety features; they still must be sober and alert to their surroundings in case vehicle sensors don’t register everything around them. Walkers, joggers and cyclists should remember to wear bright, reflective bright clothing and use lights at night.

To their credit, several Valley communities have promoted walking and cycling with networks of dedicated hike-and-bike trails. Continued efforts should be encouraged.

Work to make vehicles safer is only the beginning. Drivers need to practice safe habits, beginning with maintaining safe speeds and not driving after drinking or taking certain medications. Walkers, joggers and cyclists should try to be as visible as possible. Some cities have designated roadside bike lanes, in some cases including curbs that help prevent vehicles from straying into them. City officials need to continue their support by keeping roadsides clean and enforce roadside parking ordinances so cyclists won’t feel compelled to veer into traffic lanes. If they do, drivers should recognize that bicycles are moving vehicles, and by law have the same rights and responsibilities as motorized vehicles do.

Traffic fatalities are tragedies for the entire community, and reducing them requires a commitment from the entire community as well.