Category: Statewide Efforts

Report: Majority of MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in 2021 Occurred in Just 12 Communities, Older Adults Disproportionate Victims

Report: Majority of MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in 2021 Occurred in Just 12 Communities, Older Adults Disproportionate Victims

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jovanny Rosado
jrosado@denterlein.com
773-490-8469

Report: Majority of MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in 2021 Occurred in Just 12 Communities, Older Adults Disproportionate Victims

Results point to proven street design changes that can reduce or even eliminate pedestrian deaths

BOSTON (March 25, 2022) – A report released today by WalkBoston, a Massachusetts pedestrian advocacy organization, provides new insights evaluating where and how fatal pedestrian crashes are happening across the state, and what these patterns tell us about creating safe roads for all. Among other findings, the report shows that over half (40 of 75) of the deaths happened in just 12 municipalities.  

The report, Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021), reviews fatal pedestrian crash data from 2021 released on the MassDOT IMPACT Crash Portal and Fatal Crash Information Dashboard. The locations were then cross-referenced in the MassDOT Road Inventory Tool to determine the road jurisdiction and speed limit. Google Street View was used to find additional local context.

“The data sadly confirm that crashes are happening throughout the Commonwealth, with the same municipalities emerging again and again as higher risk,” said Stacey Beuttell, Executive Director of WalkBoston. “Every life lost is tragic, but the data also gives us confidence that by implementing proven road safety improvements and lowering speed limits, it is absolutely possible to reduce or even eliminate pedestrian deaths in Massachusetts.”

Among the 47 Massachusetts cities and towns that had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2021, more than half happened in Springfield (9), Boston (9), Lowell and Brockton (3/each), and Dedham, Framingham, Lawrence, New Bedford, Oxford, Saugus, Weymouth, Yarmouth (2/each). 

35 communities had one fatal crash: Bourne, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brookline, Charlton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Harwich, Leominster, Lynn, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mashpee, Medford, Methuen, Monson, Newburyport, Palmer, Peabody, Provincetown, Quincy, Raynham, Salisbury, Shelburne Falls, Somerville, Sterling, Taunton, Walpole, Waltham, West Springfield, Westfield, and Worcester.

This summary finds that improving road design and safety would particularly benefit the health, safety, and wellbeing of Massachusetts’ growing older adult population. Adults over the age of 65 were disproportionate pedestrian crash victims, making up 36 percent of those killed while representing only 17 percent of the population.

“If we truly want to help older adults age in the community, we need to look at this data as an opportunity to create safer streets not just for older adults but everyone,” said James Fuccione, Senior Director of the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC). “We are all aging, and we should all want communities that support our ability to be active and engaged throughout our lives. And investing in age-friendly designs that support just that should be the norm – MassDOT’s Complete Streets and Shared Streets and Spaces programs are a great example.”

Over half of Massachusetts’ fatal pedestrian crashes (50.67%) occurred on streets with 30-35 MPH speed limits. Many local roads with 30-35 MPH speed limits are prime for speeding and hostile to people walking or in wheelchairs, yet these are also the places where more people are walking. It reinforces the need for comprehensive speed management to prevent serious injuries and fatalities, moving away from relying solely on the outdated “85th percentile” theory and instead setting target speeds that reflect the way the community has developed. MassDOT just released updated guidance on safe speeds and resources to implement speed management in communities across Massachusetts.

Road safety upgrades can be done quickly and without requiring major capital investment. Recent examples include a traffic circle made out of cones in Arlington – no construction required – that dropped the number of people speeding by 65 percent. In Salem, narrowing a road via new bike lanes encouraged safer driving behaviors and reduced speeding (more than 40 mph) in a school zone by 61 percent.

While fatal crashes for people walking were down in 2020 in MA (bucking a national trend of rising fatal crashes despite fewer people driving that year), it appears in 2021 that fatal pedestrian crashes in Massachusetts returned to a level similar to what we’ve seen every year since 2015. It’s time to reverse this trend. Our state and local leaders must design our streets to be safe for people walking today.

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View the full report

Action Alert: Contact your Legislators to Support a Safer Route 16

Action Alert: Contact your Legislators to Support a Safer Route 16

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WalkBoston is proud to support the Route 16 Coalition, a project of Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets, a group made up of resident advocates, local and state legislators, and other community groups organizing for a safer Route 16 from Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge to Main Street in Medford.

This section of Route 16 is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and is made up of Alewife Brook and Mystic Valley Parkways, and was originally designed to be a “pleasure road” for taking in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding parkland. Today it is a high-speed roadway with some of the highest crash rates in the region that acts exactly opposite to its original intent: it is a dangerous barrier that impedes access of local residents to parkland, nearby amenities and businesses, and negatively impacts the Alewife Brook and Mystic River waterways and climate.

The coalition is asking members to call or email their state and local legislators to ask them to support an earmark of ~$750,000 for a traffic study that is necessary to move forward with much-needed safety improvements on Route 16 in Cambridge, Somerville and Medford. The timing is immediate as the earmark is being discussed this week (week of March 7th) in the Ways and Means Committee. This is important for residents of Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Belmont and Watertown and for anyone who travels through this dangerous corridor.

Find your state legislators and their contact information here:https://malegislature.gov/search/findmylegislator

For more information on this effort or if you’re interested in joining the coalition, email somervillesafestreets@gmail.com

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2022

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Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here. We will be releasing a year in review for 2021 in the coming weeks to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at the four fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in December. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in January 2022. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 27 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in January in the MassDOT Crash portal, nine were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in January was 52.2.
Date 1/1/2022, 7:54 PM
Location US-3 NORTH, south of EXIT 78
Town Billerica
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 43
Sex M

Joseph Francois, age 43, was struck and killed by a 2016 Ford F-150 that was being driven by a 25-year-old Billerica man. WCVB reports that Joseph had been a passenger in a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox that was pulled over in the breakdown lane.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with a median and 3 travel lanes in each direction. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 1/4/2022, 6:00 PM
Location 577 Belleville Ave.
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 54
Sex M

A 54 year old man was hit and killed in New Bedford. 1420 WBSM (New Bedford’s News-Talk Station) shared that according to a police department spokesperson, the man was apparently crossing the street near Belleville Avenue and Nash Road at around 6 p.m. when he was struck by a car.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both Belleville Avenue and Nash Road are under local jurisdiction. Belleville Avenue is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. Nash Road is two-way,with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. There is a crosswalk across Nash Street. The speed limit is not indicated for either street in the Road Inventory.

Date 1/6/2022, 7:13 PM
Location 450 Highland Ave.
Town Salem
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 41
Sex F

A 41 year old woman was hit and killed near Walmart in Salem on Rt 107 / Highland Avenue. WCVB shared that “a preliminary investigation found the woman was crossing the street in front of the Walmart when she was hit by a southbound 2021 Honda Accord in the left lane…several busy stores are located in the area, including a Walmart and a Dunkin’. There is no crosswalk at that intersection.”

The MassDOT Crash Impact Portal’s mapping tool displays the crash location as along the side of the roadway near the entrance to the Walmart Plaza.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is a median and 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is an additional left turning lane and right turning lane into the Walmart lot at the signalized intersection.  The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 1/10/2022, 5:15 PM
Location 179 Vernon St.
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

A 72 year old man was hit and killed at the corner of Vernon Street and Upsala Street in Worcester, the Telegram & Gazette / Yahoo Finance reported. The victim was unconscious at the scene and taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both Vernon and Upsala are under local jurisdiction. Each street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. There is a crosswalk across each leg of the intersection. There is a bus stop sign visible on Street View. The speed limit is not indicated for either street in the Road Inventory.

Date 1/17/2022, 9:01 PM
Location California Ave. + Worcester Rd.
Town Framingham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 48
Sex M

A 48 year old man was hit and killed near the intersection of California Avenue and Worcester Road (Route 9) in Framingham.  CBS Boston shared that “the driver of the 1986 Mazda RX7 was headed west in the left lane when it’s alleged that he hit the pedestrian and then crashed into the center median.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worcester Road/Rt 9 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a partial access control roadway, with a median and 3 travel lanes in each direction. There are 2 additional left turning lanes on Rt9 eastbound and a right turning lane on Rt9 westbound to access California Street at the signalized intersection. The speed limit is 45mph.

There is a crosswalk to cross California Street, but there are no crosswalks at this signalized intersection to cross Worcester Rd/Route 9.

Date 1/19/2022, 6:29 PM
Location 1188 Main St.
Town Wakefield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 69
Sex F

Wakefield Patch reported that a woman in her 60s was struck and killed by the driver of a Nissan Frontier truck on Main Street near Cibo Cafe & Bistro and the post office.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction and parking on each side. The speed limit is 30mph.

Residents have formed a Safe Streets Working Group, and meet the 4th Wednesday of Each Month at 7pm; the group had been speaking with DPW members the evening of the fatal crash.

Date 1/26/2022, 4:01 PM
Location Lindelof Ave. (SR-139) + SR-24 NORTH onramp
Town Stoughton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 21
Sex F

A person was hit and killed on Lindelof Avenue (State Route 139) in Stoughton near the Rt 24 interchange.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this section of Lindelof Avenue near the interchange is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It has a median and 2 travel lanes in each direction along with on/off ramps. There are no sidewalks. There is no shoulder after the on ramp meets the roadway. The speed limit is 40mph.

Date 1/27/2022, 2:26 PM
Location 50 Pine Cone Dr.
Town Yarmouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 76
Sex F

CapeCod.com reports that a 76 year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV near Pine Cone Drive and Rainbow Road in Yarmouth.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with a four way stop signed intersection. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 1/29/2022, 12:33 AM
Location 34 Fairview Rd.
Town Canton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 46
Sex M

MassLive reports that 46 year old John O’Keefe was hit and killed when his girlfriend Karen Read backed her SUV into him:

Prosecutors said Wednesday that they believe Karen Read backed her car into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, hours before he was found in the early snow drifts of Saturday’s nor’easter, suffering injuries that would later kill him.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side. The speed limit is 30mph.

Comment Letter Re: Support for H.3437, An Act requiring backup cameras on certain vehicles

Comment Letter Re: Support for H.3437, An Act requiring backup cameras on certain vehicles

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January 18th, 2022

Joint Committee on Transportation
Representative William Straus, Chair

Re: Support for H.3437, An Act requiring backup cameras on certain vehicles

Dear Chairman Straus, Vice Chairs Keenan and Devers, and members of the committee,

Members of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition respectfully request that the committee report out favorably on H.3437 An Act requiring backup cameras on certain vehicles.

H.3437 An Act requiring backup cameras on certain vehicles would require the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to include regulations around having rear visibility camera systems, or “backup” cameras for motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds that are owned or leased by the commonwealth or a city or town of the commonwealth. As of May 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires all new vehicles to be manufactured with backup cameras. However, this only applies to vehicles under 10,000 pounds, meaning large trucks are not included in this law. These large trucks have significant blind spots¹, making it challenging for drivers to see what is behind them when backing up. Requiring backup cameras could be an important safety measure for preventing backover crashes involving large trucks and vehicles, and protecting vulnerable road users like people walking and biking—particularly children and older adults who are most impacted by these kinds of crashes².

In Massachusetts over the last five years (2017-2021), there have been 33 crashes involving trucks backing up and people walking, resulting in 2 fatalities³. Additionally, two workers at a construction site in Boston were struck and killed when a co-worker backed up a truck and pushed them into a trench in February 2021. While the ownership history of all of these trucks is unknown, we are confident that beginning with state- and municipally-owned vehicles will act as a model for private operators to install video technology; the impact of which will help prevent the needless loss of life of people walking on roadways and sidewalks in Massachusetts.

Implementing these requirements, particularly when paired with other truck safety measures included in H.3549 An Act to reduce traffic fatalities, would make measurable improvements for the safety of vulnerable road users around large trucks.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Cheryl Pavlik, Allston Brighton Health Collaborative
Galen Mook, Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Jarred Johnson, TransitMatters
Adam Shutes, WalkUP Roslindale
Becca Wolfson, Boston Cyclists Union
Stacey Beuttell, WalkBoston
Janie Katz-Christy, Green Streets Initiative
Emily Stein, Safe Roads Alliance
Alex Epstein, Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets
Julia Wallerce, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Catherine Gleason, LivableStreets Alliance
Josh Ostroff, Transportation for Massachusetts

¹ Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/large-blind-spots)
² NHTSA Report on Backover Crashes (https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811144.pdf)
³ MassDOT IMPACT portal (https://apps.impact.dot.state.ma.us/cdp/home)

Comment Letter Re: Opposition to H.3399, An Act relative to increasing penalties for texting and driving

Comment Letter Re: Opposition to H.3399, An Act relative to increasing penalties for texting and driving

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January 18th, 2022

Joint Committee on Transportation
Representative William Straus, Chair

Re: Opposition to H.3399, An Act relative to increasing penalties for texting and driving

Dear Chairman Straus, Vice Chairs Keenan and Devers, and members of the committee,

Members of the Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition respectfully oppose H.3399 An Act relative to increasing penalties for texting and driving.

H.3399 An Act relative to increasing penalties for texting and driving would increase fees from a first offense from $100 to $250, and would escalate at a greater rate for subsequent offenses—$500 for a second and$750 for a third. In addition to increased fines, a license suspension of 90 days could be issued for the first offense of texting and driving. This escalation of harmful and punitive measures is a problem for a few reasons:

  1. Research has shown that increasing the severity of punishment is an ineffective deterrent to crime, and often worsens racial and economic disparities¹, suggesting that increasing penalties would not have the intended effect of lowering the number of people texting and driving.
  2. Data on the hands free law in MA has shown that this law is being inequitably enforced². In traffic stops for using a phone while driving between April and December 2019, Black, Hispanic, and Asian people were more likely to be issued citations than white people for the same infraction. The increased punitive measures proposed in this legislation will disproportionately burden Black drivers and drivers of color in Massachusetts.
  3. These large fines can be debilitating for lower income individuals who may not be able to afford them, and as the law is currently written, non-payment of these fines can compound with late fees and can result in debt-based license suspensions and potential incarceration—an inequitable and ineffective practice that forces individuals to make the impossible choice between driving on a suspended license, risking additional fines and incarceration, or risk being unable to get to work and lose the income they need to access and afford essential services, much less pay their fine (note: there are other bills in this committee that would eliminate this practice that the Coalition is supportive of—H.3453 and S.2304).

While we know that distracted driving is a safety concern on our roads, we don’t believe these punitive measures are the solution. We ask that the committee take this into account with respect to this proposed legislation and oppose H.3399.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

The Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Cheryl Pavlik, Allston Brighton Health Collaborative
Jarred Johnson, TransitMatters
Becca Wolfson, Boston Cyclists Union
Stacey Beuttell, WalkBoston
Emily Stein, Safe Roads Alliance
Julia Wallerce, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Catherine Gleason, LivableStreets Alliance
Galen Mook, Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Adam Shutes, WalkUP Roslindale

¹ National Institute of Justice (https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/five-things-about-deterrence)
² Hands Free Data in MA (https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-data-white-drivers-got-more-breaks-for-hands-free-cellphone-violations/35421474#)