November 7, 2017 – As of early November there have already been 19 people killed walking in Nashville in 2017 alone, making this the most deadly year on record for pedestrians.
In response to the devastating rise in the number of pedestrians killed while, Walk Bike Nashville is launching the Look for Me campaign. This campaign, which is funded by the TN Highways Safety Office, seeks to raise awareness and keep people walking in our city safe.
“We hope this campaign will help raise awareness for the dangerous situations many people face each and every day while trying to walk around our city, “ says Nora Kern Executive Director of Walk Bike Nashville. “Each and every person killed is a loss to our community. We all have heavy responsibility to look out for each other, put down our phones, and slow down. It’s time for pedestrian deaths in Nashville to stop.”
Click here to download a Pedestrian Safety Infographic for more information.
This campaign is part of a statewide initiative to reduce walking and bicycling fatalities and serious injuries, which have been on the rise not just in Nashville, but across the state. “The highway safety office is thrilled to support Walk Bike Nashville’s new campaign,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Nashville is thriving exponentially. At some point, we are all a bicyclist or pedestrian, so we all play a part in protecting each other as the population continues to grows.”
As in most years, the majority of the crashes have taken place on major state arterial roads, including Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Nolensville and Bell Road. Walk Bike Nashville recently conducted a study of pedestrian fatalities from 2012-2016 and discovered that fully 83% of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on state roads, which have higher speeds, multiple lanes, few safe crosswalks and high numbers of transit riders.
The Look for Me Campaign will be piloting along Gallatin Road, which saw 10 pedestrian fatalities from 2012-2016, making it the most dangerous road for pedestrians in Nashville.