Researchers at Howard are investigating areas east of the Anacostia River to help develop near-miss reporting tools that can be used both inside and outside the city limits.
“There are a lot of near-misses and near-accidents.
Young children were among the victims who died or were seriously injured while walking or biking on district roads last year. Lowery and other safety advocates concluded that there is a need for more effective tools to communicate the everyday dangers facing youth in the city.
The association's website already has a crash reporting form that collects data on accidents cyclists have encountered or witnessed, as well as incidents of near misses and harassment. Man. Young people don't use it. What will the system look like for young people? ”
They go through an elaborate process to find the answer.
First, Howard's researchers analyzed high-resolution video images from cameras placed along at least 15 intersections in Wards 7 and 8 in an attempt to document near misses, according to Howard University Transportation Research. Center Director Steven Arhin said. In many cases, school cameras installed near the zone, he said, have been on for at least three days.
“If no near-misses are detected at this location, the characteristics of that location may be fine, so we may be able to move the camera to another location,” says Arhin. "That process is what we're going through right now."
Project organizers will use these findings to select nearby schools to partner with and hold workshops in April. The goal is to hear from students, parents, and teachers about how to create a near-miss reporting tool that is used in the real world. It will be posted on the group's website.
In defining a near miss, safety experts sometimes talk about how close a dangerous collision will occur if someone does not change direction. For young people, what they have experienced and witnessed are both likely to be reported. However, the exact definition has not yet been set.
“We want to build from the ground up by listening to the voices of those most affected,” said Lowery.
The tool could be rolled out immediately after the workshop, first to schools in Districts 7 and 8 to provide feedback, then to all municipal schools, and then to the entire region. says Lowry.
The effort was supported by a $100,000 grant from the nonprofit National Safety Council and was funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Safe Routes Partnership, which works to make it safer for students heading to school, is also part of this project.
Heidi Simon, Senior Program Manager, Mobility Safety Strategy, Council, a nonprofit leader in road safety, said: Many other cities are also using automation to analyze near misses. “Near-miss data allows us to be proactive about safety, giving communities the information they need to prevent conflicts and ultimately save lives.”
Accidents are a leading cause of death among children and teens, Simon added, adding that "involving young people raises awareness of the dangers on America's streets, especially among youth."
Lowry also underscores the work's political primacy, noting that the tool will be designed to send notifications to city councilors and district transportation departments representing where near misses occur. .
"I think a lot of times our elected officials only react when there's a death, when there's an absolute tragedy," Lowry said. We are going to make sure that elected officials get all these near misses in front of their faces: We had a near miss on Tuesday.
District Transportation Authority Director Everett Lott said in a statement that the city will use police crash data and other safety research to redirect its resources to "regional "We are targeting the most impacted and densely populated areas of the world." The district has been more proactive in recent years in its efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate road deaths, including focusing on equity concerns.
Lott also questioned the information available from the new tools.
“Self-reported or crowdsourced information is subject to bias depending on who is reporting it, where they are traveling, how widely known and used the reporting tool, and what constitutes a ‘near-miss’. It's important to remember that it can take," said Lott.
For Lowry, who began riding bicycles in the Southeast as a child, the risk that the city's youth continue to be victims of what he calls "traffic violence" means residents and authorities are looking for new ways to do things. will be needed.
Raleigh, now 37, estimates he's had hundreds of near-miss accidents with cars around the city in the decades since he took off his training wheels.
My time on Georgia Avenue was the worst.
“As I was riding and the truck was about to turn, I don’t think he noticed me, I jumped off the bike and the truck flipped it over and crushed me. had to throw it away," Rowley said. "I feel blessed to be here."