Pedestrians struck and killed by motor vehicles hits record high

— News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added

An all too often last ride for pedestrians
Image via Reading Eagle

In a timely concurrent occurrence to the latest pedestrian whacking in Quincy, the State House News Service published a major story on a federally-mandated Massachusetts Department of Transportation (“MassDOT”) study that examined the safety of so-called vulnerable road users — those who use the roads but are not using a motor vehicle; basically, those who are pedestrians, bicycle riders, roller bladers, wheelchairs users, and the like.

Among other things disconcerting, the MassDOT report notes that pedestrian fatalities in 2022 set a new record of 101, 22% more than the previous record of 83 deaths in 2012.

Driving over the limit …
Image via Carmanah

And as for the data-driven review of things, the study found that — among other things — 41% of fatal and serious injury bicycle crashes and 44% of pedestrian and skater crashes happened within 2,000 feet of schools.

Accordingly, MassDOT has offered to the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts all manner of safety enhancing improvements, including vehicle speed monitoring signage to install near schools so as advise drivers how fast they are driving. 

So far, roughly a third of 351 communities have expressed in the school speed signs.

Quincy, however, does not appear to have any such speed monitoring signs per an admittedly limited as well as casual review by Quincy Quarry of local public schools nor could the current Quarry intern find a City Hall or Quincy Public Schools press release announcing Quincy’s interest in scoring such speed monitoring signage.

Granted, Quincy Public Schools grammar and middle schools have long been provided with crossing guards, the speed monitoring signage that MassDOT is offering to protect vulnerable road users should only enhance safety for students, especially for local high school students as their schools are not assigned crossing guards.

QQ disclaimer