NHTSA Announces Report on Bicycle Safety Strategies

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today released the National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety report as U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral James M. Loy, District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams, local dignitaries and hundreds of recreational and commuter bicyclists met at historic Freedom Plaza to celebrate District of Columbia Bike to Work Day and National Bike Month.

The NHTSA Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Programs, Rose A. McMurray, said the National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety report provides a national safety agenda to make cycling safer for bicyclists of all ages. The report defines five goals: motorists and bicyclists sharing the road; bicyclists riding safely; bicyclists wearing helmets; improving law enforcement and judicial support for safe bicycling; and re-engineering the environment to safely accommodate bicyclists.

"The National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety report emphasizes the department's commitment to bicycling, which can make our communities better places to live by reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, reducing energy consumption, and improving safety and mobility," said McMurray.

The report released today was prepared by a coalition of representatives from more than 60 groups, including NHTSA, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Resources and Services Administration, League of American Bicyclists, Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, American Automobile Association, and other safety and bicycling advocacy organizations.

National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety is intended for use by anyone interested in promoting safe bicycling. Although strategies that increase bicycle use can complement this agenda, its focus is on safety and public health issues that have not been sufficiently addressed by other planning efforts. McMurray said that bicyclists are an integral part of the country's transportation system for the 21st century.

In July 2000 in Washington, D.C., representatives from NHTSA and FHWA joined with staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center to sponsor an interdisciplinary conference to develop a framework to guide the work of individuals and organizations committed to increasing bicycle safety. The National Bicycle Safety Network (NBSN), a public-private coalition dedicated to promoting safe bicycling, served as the steering committee and reviewed the conference recommendations, creating the National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety.