The Grand Valley Metro Council recently launched a safety education and outreach campaign. It’s to help pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers.
“Our ultimate goal is to reduce traffic crashes.”
Andrea Faber is the Transportation Planner for the Grand Valley Metro Council, which recently launched a safety education and outreach campaign. It was created to help inform the community how they can stay safe when sharing the roadway. It targets pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers to aid them while on the roads.
“And one of the easiest ways to do that is to increase visibility for pedestrians. So, we’re doing that by distributing reflective safety belts and slap bracelets, they’re popular among kids. And we’re giving away bike lights for free.”
Faber says according to Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, although traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists only accounted for 1.66% of total crashes from the last five years in the GVMC area, which encompasses Kent and Eastern Ottawa County, nonmotorized fatalities and serious injuries represented more than 19 percent of total traffic fatalities and over 12 percent of total serious injuries during the same five-year period.
“So, while these non-motorized crashes are very small segment in the overall pie of traffic crashes in the area, they’re much more likely to result in a fatality or a serious injury.”
Faber says they continue to build partnerships with local communities, businesses and more to help them with distribution of their free safety items. For more information on how to stay safe or help the program, you can go to GVMC.org/safety.
