Tag: StreetsblogMASS

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report News Coverage

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report News Coverage

We list all media clips on our website, but on this post we consolidated some of the media coverage for the Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021) Report. Please let us know if we missed any others that you’ve seen and we can try and keep this current.


Report Overview

Every life lost on Massachusetts’ roads is tragic. At WalkBoston, we advocate for the most vulnerable road users – people walking. In 2021, at least 75 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic crashes in Massachusetts, accounting for 18 percent of all lives lost in traffic crashes.

Findings:

  • Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 47 had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2021. Over half (40 of 75) of the deaths happened in 12 municipalities.
  • Older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups: 36% of fatal crash victims were over the age of 65. In Massachusetts, only 17% of the population is over 65.  1  
  • Over half of Massachusetts’ fatal pedestrian crashes (50.67%) occurred on streets with speed limits of 30 to 35 MPH. These are neighborhood streets and main streets where more people are walking.
  • Roughly 65% of the people killed while walking were on roads owned by a city or town, while approximately 35% were walking on roads owned by a state agency (MassDOT or MassDCR).

Read the press release | Read the full report


Coverage

Event: StreetsblogMASS Book club feat. Angie Schmitt’s “Right of Way” on January 13th

Event: StreetsblogMASS Book club feat. Angie Schmitt’s “Right of Way” on January 13th

On January 13th at 7:30pm, WalkBoston is co-hosting the next StreetsblogMASS book club event. We hope you can take part! the event is free, but a suggested donation of $20 will help support WalkBoston and the ongoing journalism of StreetsblogMASS. Read on for more information, or RSVP here.

The next title in the StreetsblogMASS book club is Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America, by former StreetsblogUSA editor Angie Schmitt.

Schmitt’s book investigates how pedestrian deaths have increased by 50 percent in the past decade, and how our nation’s persistent patterns of racism and economic inequality play into this under-reported public health crisis.

This event is co-hosted by WalkBoston, a 501c3 nonprofit pedestrian advocacy organization that makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities.

StreetsblogMASS editor Christian MilNeil will host an online discussion with the author on January 13th at 7:30pm, and we hope you can join us. To participate:

Special thanks to the Helen & William Mazer Foundation for generously sponsoring this event.