The Research Rounds: Address safety concerns and more people will ride
Takeaways from the research we’re reading at Superpedestrian
“Zero is the only acceptable number of deaths on our highways, roads, and streets.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg released a nationwide plan to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths. The goal is to reverse the alarming increase of U.S. traffic deaths, which disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists.
As with most things, women’s transportation needs differ from men. Women tend to travel less, for shorter trips, and involve children or others. Their perceived sense of safety plays into their mode choice. This Italian study analyzes the differences, concluding that micromobility providers must acknowledge and adjust services to address the gender gap to help more women feel comfortable on shared vehicles.
The average human attention span is eight seconds. If you’re still reading this, congratulations! This is why Superpedestrian uses mobile microlearning to improve safety. Our text-based and in-app lessons chunk rider education into smaller units, which take five minutes or less to complete. This paper explains why interesting, short, and helpful education is so effective.
What leads a person to try out a shared e-scooter? It may be that a scooter is in the right place at the right time, it’s a decent alternative to walking, or there’s enough for a pack of friends to explore. But underlying factors, such as gender, education level, and age also play a part. Learn about attitudes and externalities that inspire a person to try a scooter — or not.
A favorite find from the annual TRB meeting is this poster analyzing near-misses for pedestrians, bicyclists, and e-scooter riders. Clearly, policies and infrastructure to keep riders safe is a priority. But a scooter with a brain can reduce near-misses, too. Pedestrian Defense detects and provides real-time correction, and indicates specific areas where unsafe behavior, such as hard braking or swerving, are common. This feedback can help cities identify and address potential trouble areas before they present more serious safety concerns. Look out for the published research paper at www.safestreetsresearch.com!