Mercer County Cyclist/Pedestrian Fatality Rate Exploding

[Jerry Foster]

A pedestrian was killed while taking out the garbage in front of his house on CR535 in Hamilton this week, and a Princeton pedestrian was found dead and is the presumed victim of a hit-and-run crash last week.

http://6abc.com/news/man-killed-after-vehicle-crashes-into-house-in-nj/1530033/

http://planetprinceton.com/2016/09/17/body-of-missing-chinese-visitor-found-saturday-morning/

The current state police report shows Mercer County's 14 traffic fatalities included 5 cyclists or pedestrians, but doesn't yet include the 2 above, or the pedestrian fatality on the freight rail tracks in Ewing this spring.
http://www.njsp.org/info/fatalacc/index.shtml
http://6abc.com/news/pedestrian-struck-killed-by-freight-train-in-ewing-township-/1348748/

Let's run the numbers - 17 fatalities, including 8 cyclists or pedestrians = 47% of our county's fatalities are cyclists or pedestrians.

NJ's pedestrian fatality rate in 2015 was 31%, double the national average of 15%.
http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/put-brakes-fatality-day.html

The traditional approach to traffic fatalities - express sympathy and do nothing - will not make it better or go away. The modern approach is to understand that a public health epidemiological intervention is needed.   First, stop calling crashes "accidents" - it removes all responsibility from the participants.
http://crashnotaccident.com/

Second, engineering improvements can significantly improve safety, including road diets, roundabouts, sidewalks, etc. Just because you have a drivers license and an opinion, and a right to both, does not mean these will not work in West Windsor, no matter how strongly you may believe.
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/

Last, our community's safety and security start with each of us taking personal responsibility for our actions, but we must also support each other - please ask the driver speeding in your neighborhood to slow down, they are very likely your neighbor (or family member). Blaming the police for not enforcing the speed limit is just another way to avoid personal responsibility - please support the police in our common effort to make WW a better place to live.

Jerry