City had 18 pedestrian deaths in 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 16, 2015) — Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today launched a new pedestrian safety program called Look Alive Louisville. The campaign goal is to greatly reduce the number of pedestrian/vehicle collisions and bring to zero the number that result in pedestrian fatalities.
Louisville has averaged 16 pedestrian deaths for each of the last five years, and the number has grown in each of the past three years, reaching 18 in 2014. Louisville’s rate of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents is 2.57, higher than the national rate of 2.33.
“These numbers are not acceptable,” Fischer said. “We want to add to the many things that Louisville is proud of, being recognized among the safest cities in the nation for pedestrians,” he said. That’s where Look Alive Louisville comes in. The program is aimed at changing the behaviors of pedestrians and drivers that contribute to collisions.
One of the biggest factors is inattention and distraction. The program includes a 13-week advertising campaign aimed at getting walkers and motorists to recognize that pedestrians crossing the street requires the full attention of both.
A three-year $307,000 grant awarded last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will allow for a K-12 safety education component, an adult safety education component and training for Louisville Metro Police. Officers are also stepping up enforcement through the use of pedestrian decoys to catch drivers who fail to yield when they should.
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