{"id":24892,"date":"2016-09-30T23:53:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-30T23:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145710.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=24892"},"modified":"2016-10-01T14:35:46","modified_gmt":"2016-10-01T14:35:46","slug":"public-transit-saves-lives-lot-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikocity.com\/public-transit-saves-lives-lot-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Transit Saves Lives … A Lot of Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
How long since you passed a sad traffic accident? Consider this: A person is 10 times safer taking public transportation for a commute than driving. You are 90% safer<\/em> if you take public transportation (for commutes). The finding comes from\u00a0a new study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).\u00a0The study, The Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation<\/a><\/em>, builds on many other such studies.<\/p>\n Communities that\u00a0use mass transit<\/a>\u00a0enjoy less tragedy. They have about 20%\u00a0the per capita traffic casualty rate (fatalities and injuries) compared to communities primarily using automobiles. People\u00a0who do not use public transit still benefit, of course.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is time we employ public transit as a traffic safety tool because it can dramatically reduce the crash risk for individuals as well as a community,\u201d said APTA Acting CEO and President Richard White. \u201cWhile no mode of travel is risk free, the safety of public transit is striking when observing the number of fatalities that are a result of auto crashes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Crash risk is cut in half with more public transit, with fewer\u00a0auto miles traveled and safer speeds in such communities, according to the findings.<\/p>\n Todd Litman,<\/a> director of the Vitoria Transportation Policy Institute and a contributor to the report, notes recent data released by the US Department of Transportation:\u00a035,092 fatalities as a result of auto accidents in 2015, an increase of 7.2% from 2014, which was the largest increase\u00a0since 1966.<\/p>\n “While APTA officials note that even one death is one too many, the small number of fatalities related to public transit<\/a>\u00a0travel pale in comparisons to the tens of thousands of lives lost on our roadways every year.”<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 35,092 fatalities as a result of auto crashes in 2015. Public transportation is a safer way to travel than auto for an individual.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\nThe Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation<\/h3>\n
Fact Sheet<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n
The Problem<\/h3>\n
\nThat is an increase of 7.2 percent from 2014, the greatest increase in deaths in 50 years.<\/li>\nThe Solution<\/h3>\n
\nsimply by taking public transit as oppose to commuting by car.
\nTraveling by public transportation is ten times safer per mile than traveling by auto.<\/p>\nTransit-oriented communities are safer than automobile-oriented communities.<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
\ntraffic safety casualty rate (fatalities and injuries) as automobile-oriented communities.<\/li>\n
\nand encouraging safer speeds.<\/li>\n
\naverage traffic fatality rates as cities where residents average fewer than 20 annual trips.<\/li>\n
\nto more than 50 annual transit trips represents a small increase in transit mode share, from
\nabout 1.5 percent up to about 4 percent.<\/li>\n
\nmonth per person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPublic transportation can help address high-risk and vulnerable driver groups.<\/em><\/h4>\n
\n
\ntesting, and impaired and distracted driving campaigns, become more effective if
\nimplemented in conjunction with public transit improvements.<\/li>\n
\nmuch and have about half the per capita auto death rate.
\nTraffic Fatalities Versus Transit Ridership for U.S. Urban Region<\/p>\n