USDOT Summit on Pedestrian

Safety Virtual Series

A SUMMARY REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Overview 1

Webinar Summary 1

July 8 Webinar – The Safe System Approach 1

July 15 Webinar – Consider Risk: When, Where, Who, How 5

July 28 Webinar – Next Steps 8

Conclusion 8

Appendix 9

Cover photos courtesy of Getty Images 
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

OVERVIEW

While the vehicle occupant rate decreased, pedestrian fatalities increased from 4,109 in 2009 to 6,283 in 2018, a 

53 percent increase and the highest number of pedestrian fatalities since 1990 There are some signs the trend 

may be reversing In 2019, pedestrian fatalities decreased by 2 percent More needs to be done to keep the trend 

moving in the right direction That is why the U S Department of Transportation (USDOT), led by the Federal 

Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), conducted a 

national dialogue on pedestrian safety through three webinars that focused on the safe system approach; the 

when, where, who, and how of pedestrian risk; and next steps 

The “Taking Action on Pedestrian Safety” summit was conducted virtually given the current health situation in 

the U S , with webinars on July 8, July 15, and July 28 Agendas for each of the webinars appear in the Appendix 

Approximately 1,000 people registered for each of the webinars, and of those who joined:

• Thirty-five percent worked for State government 

• Thirty-nine percent indicated that their role in advancing pedestrian safety involved implementing policies,

programs, and procedures 

• Forty-five percent said street design and technology was the most significant challenge, and/or opportunity,

in making progress on pedestrian safety The next highest was speed management, along with enforcement,

laws, and regulations 

• Forty-six percent believe street design and technology will lead to the biggest long-term gains in pedestrian

safety improvements which is a major focus for the efforts being conducted by FHWA and NHTSA Specifically,

road diets, traffic calming, HAWKs (traffic signals that allow pedestrians to cross the road safely), and the

adoption of Complete Streets policies were mentioned 

WEBINAR SUMMARY 

July 8 Webinar – The Safe System Approach 

USDOT Secretary Elaine L. Chao opened the summit on July 8, 2020 by noting that over the last decade, the U S 

has achieved significant gains in traffic safety reducing a fatality rate that was four times higher in 1972 through 

“better infrastructure, technology, research, and improvement in road user behavior as well as traffic law 

enforcement and better emergency medical services ” However, the Secretary also noted that while “the vehicle 

“State and local transportation leaders and nongovernmental safety organizations are essential partners in this ongoing mission to save lives and reduce injuries on our nation’s roads. We 

all share a deep commitment to reduce the incidence of traffic crashes involving pedestrians.”

Elaine L. Chao,

Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
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occupant fatality rate declined in recent years, the pedestrian 

fatality rate increased ” 

One outcome of the summit was to finalize the USDOT 

Pedestrian Safety Action Plan which will help FHWA, NHTSA and 

other agencies to implement solutions and advance actions 

between now and December 2021 to reduce the number of 

pedestrian deaths and serious injuries Mala Parker, Deputy 

Administrator for FHWA, noted the Agency is “promoting 

cost-effective countermeasures with known pedestrian safety 

benefits” including “rectangular rapid flashing beacons, 

leading pedestrian intervals, raised crosswalks and pedestrian 

crossing refuge islands ” Pedestrian hybrid beacons can, she 

said, reduce pedestrian fatalities by 90 percent She went on 

to announce the creation of a new resource, the STEPS (Safe 

Transportation for Every Pedestrian) studio, which includes resources, design information, guidance, research, 

and best practices to improve pedestrian safety 

“It’s very encouraging to see the 

creativity, determination and 

commitment to safety remaining 

strong and steady. The work we 

do today and in the upcoming 

webinars in this series will help 

us shape the future of pedestrian 

safety nationally.”

Mala Parker,

Deputy Administrator, FHWA

James C Owens, Deputy Administrator for NHTSA, reminded participants that “at some point in the day we are all 

pedestrians,” but cautioned that “not every community is designed with pedestrians in mind ” NHTSA, he said, 

will be launching the first every pedestrian safety month campaign in October 2020 “Each week will focus on 

activities to keep the walking public safe Campaign materials and messages will be available to download at the 

traffic safety marketing website, www trafficsafetymarketing gov,” he said 

The July 8 webinar featured two speakers from safety partner organizations The first speaker was Patrick 

McKenna, President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the 

Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, who noted everyone has a role in making the transportation system safer for all users by looking “not only for the long-term and exciting technological solutions, but 

also more immediate fixes ” He highlighted some of the notable pedestrian safety actions underway across the 

country Kansas, he said, “recently began the development of a comprehensive transportation plan to address 

the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and other users ” He also noted that Virginia updated its pedestrian safety 

action plan to include ways to prioritize areas for improvements using a multidimensional health opportunity 

index at the Census tract level Ohio DOT, he said, also developed an action plan that includes “improvements in 

cities with higher pedestrian crash numbers and a streamlined process to develop and construct projects in a 

shorter time ”

The second speaker was Chuck DeWeese, Chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and 

Assistant Commissioner of the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee He explained that GHSA represents 

State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) that are “already implementing behavioral programs to better protect 

walkers” including public information campaigns to promote driver awareness of pedestrians as well as efforts 

aimed at laws He went on to describe a program in New York State where the SHSO, DOT, and Department of 

Health worked together on pedestrian safety Once low-cost infrastructure countermeasures were implemented, 

the Department of Health, with support from the SHSO, conducted education efforts in high crash locations 
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

“Behavioral approaches,” he said, “can fill gaps” since engineering measures may take a long time to implement 

He also indicated SHSOs can support efforts in rural areas where it may be difficult to implement infrastructure 

improvements He also noted “behavioral interventions can complement engineering” by explaining the how and 

why of new infrastructure 

Rajesh Subramanian, NHTSA, provided high-level statistics on pedestrian fatalities using data from NHTSA’s 

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 

• Pedestrian deaths as a percentage of overall deaths gradually increased from 12 percent in 2009 to 17 percent

in 2018 

• The median age in 2018 of pedestrians killed is 49 years of age compared to all traffic fatalities where the

median age is 43 

• Nighttime deaths have increased significantly over the last few years 

• Forty-eight percent of pedestrian fatalities involved alcohol at least on the part of drivers involved in the crash 

• Three fourths of pedestrian fatalities occurred outside of an intersection 

• Fifty-five percent, or more than half, of pedestrian fatalities occurred on the roads deemed arterial or principal 

• The pedestrian fatality problem is largely an urban problem at night between the hours of 6 pm and 5:59 am 

• Florida, Texas, and California have the largest number of pedestrian deaths 

• Pedestrian deaths increase in the fall and winter months 

Michael Griffith, Director of FHWA’s Office of Safety Technologies, provided an overview of the 69 current and 

planned USDOT actions to enhance pedestrian safety that are categorized as safe system elements including 

mobility options, enforcement laws and regulations, vehicle design technology, street design and engineering, 

land-use planning, speed management, education capacity building, and data and evaluation Some of the 

actions include a global benchmark study on pedestrian safety; a pedestrian and bicycle safety strategic plan for 

research; technology deployment and outreach efforts; an upgrade to the NHTSA new car assessment program 

to improve pedestrian safety; and the development of crash injury research trauma centers; a crash data collection program; and a pilot data collection program for pedestrian crash cases Finally, USDOT will be producing a 

test for public and private institutes to evaluate public safety awareness technologies that mitigate risk in the 

transportation system using pedestrian trespass on railroads as a case example 

The final three speakers discussed the safe system approach First, Jeff Paniati, Executive Director and CEO of 

the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and representative of the Road to Zero Coalition, noted the creation of a “safe system framework” that anticipates human error and accommodates human injury tolerance 

He stressed “the role of infrastructure owners and operators and what they can do to help create safer roads 

and safer speeds by seeking aggressive actions or taking aggressive actions in the way they design the roadway 

and operate the roadway network ” He also indicated they are looking to these owners to “fully integrate the 

needs of all users ” To achieve the safe system, he said, there is a need for “planning, design, and operations to 

embrace traditional approaches” by using what works and trying novel approaches and evaluating new ideas He 
4

recommended participants visit the ITE or the 

National Safety Council web site for more information on safety culture and the safe system 

approach 

Mary Ann Koos from the Association of 

Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) and

a special projects coordinator for the Florida 

Department of Transportation indicated APBP 

encourages “communities to identify actionable 

strategies with timelines, establish priorities 

for funding and staff time, and conduct meaningful community engagement that places an 

emphasis on duty ” Her recommendation for 

an effective policy is “to anticipate people will 

make mistakes and provide an environment 

that minimizes risks by reducing or eliminating opportunities for crashes and reducing 

crash severity ” She also mentioned solutions 

such as “establishing speed limits supported by a web-based tool (USLIMIT2), and improvements like marked 

crosswalks, medians, pedestrian refuge islands, pedestrian intervals, exclusive left turns, nighttime lighting and 

roundabouts” all of which “improve a pedestrian’s ability to safely negotiate intersections or crosswalks ” She 

highlighted APBP’s upcoming events including their webinar series 

Graphic courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration.

Jessica Cicchino, Vice President of Research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), discussed the 

important role vehicles and vehicle technology play in the safe system approach Vehicles, she said, “make 

crashes less likely to injure or kill a pedestrian and possibly prevent a crash from occurring altogether ” Some 

of the new advancements she mentioned include “making the front of vehicles softer, more space between the 

engine and hard elements like windshields, and even external airbags ” She indicated a problem in the U S was 

the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks that are “more likely to kill or seriously injure pedestrians 

compared to cars ” She mentioned “one old countermeasure that can help prevent crashes from occurring is 

headlights, which can make a big difference in how soon the driver can see a pedestrian in the roadway and 

stop for them ” She also mentioned pedestrian detection systems which can tell if a pedestrian is in front of 

the vehicle, warn the driver, and automatically apply the brakes While these new advancements are good, she 

warned that it does take “a long time for technology to proliferate through the fleet so we are only scratching 

the surface at what the systems are going to do when we have more in the fleet that have them ”

Nicole R Nason, FHWA Administrator, closed the webinar providing thanks to everyone who attended and special thanks to the session’s speakers While participants heard about the current and planned actions FHWA, 

NHTSA, and other administrations are planning to do, she indicated, “the DOT cannot address pedestrian safety 

issues through one mode and we cannot address it alone We need all of you to be part of these efforts ” When 

it comes to safety, she said, “collaboration is key ” She reminded attendees to provide input into the draft of 
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

current and planned actions with best practice examples or challenges to improving pedestrian safety This 

information, she said, will be used to inform the USDOT Pedestrian Safety Action Plan 

July 15 Webinar – Consider Risk: When, Where, Who, How

The second virtual webinar focused on pedestrian risk – when and where it happens, who is involved, and 

how it can be solved Cheryl Walker, Associate Administrator for Safety at FHWA, and Jamie Pfister, Associate 

Administrator for Regional Operations and Program Delivery at NHTSA, opened the webinar and were followed 

by six partner organization speakers Laura Sandt, Director, Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), 

reported there are a number of approaches that can prevent pedestrian fatalities Many States and cities, she 

noted, are adopting new design standards that make it “more predictable, simple and easy for drivers to understand the best and safest choices It makes it easier for pedestrians to find appropriate crossings and make 

appropriate behaviors ” She emphasized road diets, traffic calming, speed governors on vehicles, automatic 

emergency braking, speed feedback signs and efforts to promote speed harmonization including slow speed 

zones, speed limit reductions, and access management She also was supportive of the systemic approach that 

addresses risk across an entire network 

“While recognizing the most effective pedestrian safety efforts are planned and 

implemented at the local level, we know the USDOT plays a critical, supportive role. 

We value your expertise and we want your help to identify gaps in the [current and future] 

actions and we would like your ideas to inform future activities, leverage partnerships, 

and provide feedback for continued dialogue.”

Cheryl Walker, 

Associate Administrator for Safety, FHWA

David Yang from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shared research that shows the impact of speed and the 

probability of death when someone is struck at different speeds “When you go in increments of five miles per 

hour, the probability of being struck and killed increases significantly,” he said He also reported the Foundation 

is looking at the locations where people are killed and indicated the majority are at non-intersection locations 

His recommendations included doing education through the AAA clubs across the nation, doing joint research 

with the University Transportation Centers, and reaching out and working with national organizations and stakeholders at various levels 

Corinne Kisner, Executive Director, National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), noted “Americans 

face different levels of risk based largely on where they live and how they get around town That has a lot to 

do with race, access to wealth, and income ” She went on to note the highest risk for pedestrians is on streets 
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with higher speeds She highlighted a new program called “Setting City Limits,” which provides a framework for 

cities to set lower speed limits, and is now the “inspiration for several policies around the country ” In Seattle, 

she reported “the DOT implemented a four-lane, three lane conversion on a street with about 23,000 cars per 

day ” Before the change “about one in 20 drivers were going 40 miles per hour or higher With careful design and 

analysis, the street was brought down to 25 miles per hour, which reduced the number of speeders by 52 4 percent ” On another Seattle roadway, the speed 

was lowered to 35 mph on an arterial where a 

new school had opened “Initial analysis shows 

a 47 percent reduction in injury crashes within 

a quarter-mile ” Setting reasonable speed 

limits and coordinating design work can have a 

positive impact 

Ian Thomas, Director of the State and Local 

Programs at America Walks, provided information on some of the systemic causes of 

pedestrian fatalities in the U S and gave examples of several European speed management 

strategies He spoke about an increase in nighttime pedestrian fatalities, and the impact of speed, particularly 

on older adults He recommended that if vehicle speeds can be “below 30 miles per hour or 20 miles per hour 

in areas where there are a lot of driveways and complicated turning movements, [we] can dramatically reduce 

pedestrian fatalities ” A map of the U S showed that the States with the highest number of fatalities between 

2007 and 2017 were in the South where there has been the most growth in the U S He indicated the design of the 

roadways often makes it impossible for people to get around safely “How quickly we can move traffic along this 

corridor is far more important in the minds of many engineers,” he said He then provided some examples from 

Europe where they have successfully lowered pedestrian deaths In Barcelona, Spain they have identified “superblocks” where through traffic is prevented and the speed limit is 30 kilometers per hour Cars “are not the priority 

mode of transportation ” He also noted the Vision Zero program in Sweden, efforts in one of the arrondissements 

in Paris where traffic is limited, and the Twenty is Plenty campaign in London 

“For pedestrians to truly be safe on our 

roadways, research emphasizes the

importance of coordinating countermeasures 

with complementary education, outreach, 

and enforcement strategies.”

Jamie Pfister,

Associate Administrator for Regional Operations 

and Program Delivery, NHTSA

Brad Sant, Senior Vice President, Safety and Education, American Road and Transportation Builders Association 

(ARTBA), focused his presentation on often-overlooked pedestrians – workers Most people think of these as 

construction workers, but he noted “there are construction workers, maintenance workers and employees of 

the DOT which includes inspectors, engineers, surveyors, landscapers, and also emergency responders ” These 

workers are in locations where the speed limit is up to 70 miles per hour putting them at greater risk One of his 

recommendations was to use lightweight mobile barriers Another recommendation centered on understanding 

the data involving worker fatalities to get a better idea of the exact nature of the problem 

Anne Marie Doherty, Senior Director of Research, Implementation and Safety at the New York City Department of 

Transportation (NYCDOT), highlighted New York City’s successful Vision Zero program which involves a commitment from the Mayor, a data driven and evidence-based approach, a shared public metric of success, a focus on 

speed, a multi-agency effort, and efforts involving legislation, enforcement and education There is also a focus 
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

on priority locations using data to identify these areas Since the start of the program, she reported, “NYC DOT 

has made safety engineering improvements at more than 85 percent of priority intersections and more than 

75 percent of the total length of the priority corridors ” NYC also installed speed cameras at 750 locations that 

are near schools resulting in a 63 percent decrease in speeding at these locations Overall, since the city’s pedestrian safety program was implemented, there 

has been a 22 percent decrease in pedestrian 

fatalities 

July 28 Webinar – Next 

Steps 

Nicole R Nason, FHWA’s Administrator, and 

James C Owens, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator, 

kicked off the last webinar and were followed 

by two speakers, one from a State DOT and 

the other from a partner organization This 

was followed by a review of the various current and future actions that FHWA, NHTSA, and 

other Administrations at USDOT will be conducting to improve pedestrian safety The first speaker was Dr Shawn 

Wilson, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD), who reported 

that in Louisiana the majority of pedestrian safety efforts are concentrated in the State’s two largest cities 

– New Orleans and Baton Rouge – both of which have developed pedestrian safety action plans Pedestrian

safety, he reported, is also part of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), which is a sub-emphasis area in

the Infrastructure and Operations emphasis area “This helps bring awareness to both the conditions of our

road, the things that we’re building, and how we’re finding solutions to help keep us safe,” he said Louisiana,

Dr Wilson noted, has a strong Complete Streets policy that has been adopted both by the department and the

legislature Individuals, including partners in the health industry and other advocates and professionals, worked

to get the policy passed by the State Legislature LA DOTD also provides “leadership and training opportunities

for local entities,” and is working to provide leadership and establish partnerships at the local public agency

level to implement these policies He also highlighted a pedestrian safety improvement that was implemented at

Louisiana State University under their Complete Streets policy

“We all have a responsibility to share the 

road and look out for each other. A safe system approach recognizes that everyone, including those who design, build, operate and 

use the road system, is responsible for safety. 

NHTSA is finalizing a community-based 

assessment tool to help determine whether 

pedestrian efforts will have an impact.”

James C. Owens,

Deputy Administrator, NHTSA

Brittney D Kohler, Legislative Director for Transportation and Infrastructure, National League of Cities, reported 

that “cities across the country have been stepping up [to address pedestrian safety] in places from Anchorage, 

AK, Fremont, CA to Durham, NC, Washington DC, Boston, MA, and New York City ” What they are trying to do, she 

noted, is make their cities more “human centered” so people can move more safety through them “We need a 

safety net, as humans,” she said She also noted that more attention is being paid to the speed issue and in the 

current COVID environment, “the drop in traffic has not necessarily led to a drop in fatalities ” She went on to 

share a program being implemented in Tigard, OR which is part of the Portland metropolitan area As the city 

reopened, they saw “a significant increase in the number of residents who wanted to be walking and bicycling 

safely ” Since Tigard has many nearby trails, they tried to connect their roads to those trails and were thinking 

ahead to address gaps through low cost interventions Some of the ways she indicated USDOT could help cities 
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include demonstrations and temporary installations for communities to address safety concerns quickly; future 

guides, manuals and plans that lean into human-centric design; connectivity among networks and city-MPOState-Federal plans; and strong technical support through programs and guides reflecting different places 

The July 28 webinar also included a review of the current and future actions in the USDOT Pedestrian Safety 

Action Plan Attendees were encouraged to offer their input on these efforts To wrap up the Summit, FHWA 

Executive Director Tom Everett thanked all the speakers and participants and reiterated “the only way we will 

achieve success is by teaming up to solve these pedestrian safety challenges together ”

CONCLUSION

In closing out the webinar series, Tom Everett, Executive Director of FHWA, noted “the safety of pedestrians 

and all transportation system users is the number one priority of the Department ” He thanked the people who 

attended the webinars along with the individuals who presented and provided vital and 

valuable information to further the cause of 

pedestrian safety In addition, he thanked 

those from FHWA and NHTSA who worked 

hard to put the webinars together even under 

different circumstances than what was originally planned 

The USDOT Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is a 

unique opportunity for several Administrations within the Department to come together to address a problem 

Over the next several years, these agencies will be implementing the actions contained in the Plan and assessing 

progress This Plan is not the only effort underway across the nation States, localities, regional agencies, and 

private sector organizations will be doing their part to improve safety for pedestrians and other vulnerable road 

users Ultimately reductions in pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries is the goal of the collective efforts on 

pedestrian safety It is a worthwhile and achievable goal 

“We commit to working with all of you to 

promote safe and comfortable and convenient walking for people. After all, we are all 

pedestrians at some point.”

Tom Everett,

Executive Director, FHWA
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

APPENDIX

Webinar 1 – Taking Action on Pedestrian Safety 

Part 1: Introduction and Safe System Approach 

July 8, 2020 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT

Agenda Item Speaker

Welcome and Introductions Cheryl Walker, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Jamie Pfister, National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration (NHTSA)

Opening Remarks Secretary Elaine L Chao, Secretary, U S Department of 

Transportation (USDOT) 

Mala Parker, Deputy Administrator, FHWA 

James C Owens, Deputy Administrator, NHTSA

Guest Speakers Patrick McKenna, President, American Association of 

State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 

Chuck DeWeese, President, Governors Highway Safety 

Association (GHSA)

Data Overview Rajesh Subramanian, NHTSA

Overview of Draft USDOT current and planned actions 

to enhance pedestrian safety

Mike Griffith, FHWA

Safe System Approach Jeff Paniati, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

Mary Ann Koos, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle 

Professionals (APBP)

Jessica Cicchino, Insurance Institute for Highway 

Safety (IIHS)

Facilitated Session Mike Griffith, FHWA

Closing Remarks Nicole R Nason, Administrator, FHWA 
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Webinar 2 – Taking Action on Pedestrian Safety

Part 2: Consider Risk: When, Where, Who, How?

July 15, 2020 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT

Agenda Item Speaker

Welcome and Introductions Cheryl Walker, Associate Administrator for Safety, 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Jamie Pfister, Associate Administrator for Regional 

Operations and Program Delivery, National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Facilitated Session Mike Griffith, FHWA, Lead Facilitator

Guest Speakers 

• Laura Sandt, Director, Pedestrian and Bicycle 

Information Center (PBIC)

• David Yang, Executive Director, AAA Foundation for 

Traffic Safety (AAAFTS)

• Corinne Kisner, Executive Director, National 

Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)

• Ian Thomas, Director, State and Local Program, 

America Walks

• Anne Marie Doherty, Senior Director, Research, 

Implementation and Safety, New York City 

Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)

• Brad Sant, Senior Vice President, Safety and 

Education, American Road and Transportation 

Builders Association (ARTBA)

Polling Questions Mike Griffith, FHWA

Preview Next Webinar and Adjourn Cheryl Walker, FHWA

Note: Two videos will be played from NHTSA and the 

Turner-Fairbanks Highway Research Center
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USDOT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SUMMARY REPORT 

Webinar 3 – Taking Action on Pedestrian Safety 

Part 3: Next Steps 

July 28, 2020 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT

Agenda Item Speaker

Opening Remarks Nicole R Nason, Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA)

James C Owens, Deputy Administrator, National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Guest Speakers Dr Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) 

Brittney D Kohler, Legislative Director of 

Transportation and Infrastructure, National League of 

Cities

USDOT Pedestrian Safety Action Plan: Next Steps Mike Griffith, FHWA

Closing Remarks Nicole R Nason, Administrator, FHWA