Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety – Literature Review [Traffic Tech]

NHTSA · 2025 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This literature review, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in January 2025, addresses the disproportionate safety risks faced by pedestrians and bicyclists in the United States. The research is motivated by a significant disparity in traffic safety outcomes: while walking and cycling comprise only an estimated 13% of travel mode share, these modes account for 20% of all traffic fatalities. The report highlights a troubling trend of consistent growth in fatalities over the past decade (2013–2022), with pedestrian deaths increasing by 57% and bicyclist deaths rising by 48%. This review aims to synthesize existing academic and government literature to help stakeholders understand these risks, identify appropriate data collection methods, and select effective countermeasures. The methodology involves a comprehensive synthesis of literature primarily collected between 2013 and 2020, supplemented by seminal works from earlier periods and relevant recent studies. The report defines pedestrians broadly as any person not in a motor vehicle and bicyclists as riders of pedal-powered vehicles, including electric-assist bicycles. The review is organized into four thematic sections: an introduction to safety patterns and the Safe System Approach; factors creating and mitigating risk involving human behavior, environment, and vehicles; the effectiveness of interventions such as laws, behavior change programs, and technology; and methods for measuring and monitoring safety, including surrogate measures for latent risks where crash data is sparse. Key findings reveal that safety risks are not evenly distributed across geographic or sociodemographic lines. Sunbelt states, including New Mexico, Florida, and Arizona, exhibit the highest population-based pedestrian fatality rates. Significant racial and ethnic disparities exist, with Black, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native individuals struck by motorists at disproportionate rates. Gender disparities are also evident; while men are three times more likely to ride bicycles than women, they are eight times more likely to be involved in fatal bicycle crashes. The report notes that crash data remains limited and often inaccurate, complicating the understanding of the relationship between exposure and crashes. The significance of this review lies in its identification of critical gaps in current research and its guidance for future safety improvements. The authors conclude that while new technologies and the Safe System Approach offer proactive tools, the transportation system is becoming more complex due to larger vehicles, automation, and emergent modes like e-scooters. The report emphasizes that fundamental safety improvements require eliminating risks before they emerge by providing high-quality facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. It calls for further research to quantify the safety impacts of these emerging technologies and infrastructure changes, positioning the document as a guide for future studies and policy development aimed at reducing the high incidence of fatalities.

Key finding

Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have increased substantially over the past decade despite their low mode share, revealing significant safety disparities and the need for improved data collection and proactive safety strategies.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• cyclist safety
• vru crash typology
• micromobility e scooter
• demographic disparities
• incidence prevalence
• fatality injury trends

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes