Pedestrian and Bicycle-related Collisions and Fatalities among Twelve Cities in the South Bay Region of Los Angeles County

Background: ARRA-funded Communities Putting Prevention to Work obesity prevention initiatives are underway to promote built environment interventions. While these initiatives are vital to improving physical activity, safety concerns in the targeted communities have been given little consideration. This poster presentation will examine the pedestrian and bicyclist safety concerns in these communities and evaluate whether they need to be addressed.

Methods: Collision and fatality rates for pedestrian and bicycle victims between 2003 and 2008 were evaluated for 12 cities located in Los Angeles County's South Bay region using several data sources, including Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Cities were categorized by their economic hardship indices (EHI) into low economic hardship (EHI ≤50), or high economic hardship (EHI>50), and collision and fatality rates compared.

Results: The average rate of pedestrians involved in motor vehicle collisions among low-income communities (45.2 per 100,000) was nearly double the average rate among high-income communities (25.6 per 100,000). The rates of bicyclists involved in motor vehicle collisions were similar among both high- and low-income communities (27.5 and 23.8 per 100,000, respectively). Rates were calculated using averaged annual population estimates for each city from 2003-2008. Reported fatalities due to pedestrian- and bicycle-related collisions were low in all cities examined, with 0-16 fatalities reported each year.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that low-income cities experience higher rates of pedestrian collisions. Policy, system, and/or environmental (PSE) changes that encourage pedestrian and bicycle activity in both high- and low-income communities should address safety knowledge and practices.