Anyone who has lived or worked in Glendale knows that improving traffic safety has been a constant priority for the City of Glendale. The City of Glendale’s latest campaign “Be Street Smart Glendale” has been reaching out to all sectors of the Glendale community, focusing especially on youth and the elderly, to make our streets a safe place to drive, bike, and walk.
According to data gathered from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Glendale actually ranks above average in traffic safety versus other cities in California of equivalent populations. OTS compiles a yearly ranking of cities throughout the state to find where they fall among other similarly sized cities. Using the latest available data, OTS found that Glendale actually ranked above the average in terms of total traffic fatalities and injuries, motorcycle fatalities and injuries, and found that few of those accidents involved alcohol.
Another study compiled by the personal injury legal firm, Liljegren Law Group, used the similar data and ranked 65 California cities by their amount of motor vehicle collisions and contributory factors. These contributory factors might include amount of rainfall, unusual road conditions, percentage of young drivers vs. total population, or any metric that contributes to traffic safety. The numbers once again show that Glendale ranks above average in traffic safety, and is comparable to other cities of similar size.
Where Glendale runs into issues is with pedestrian-related accidents and especially those involving the elderly. The data, which is taken from 2014, doesn’t take into account the improvements Glendale has seen in terms of pedestrian related accidents thanks to the City’s outreach efforts. Although one is considered too many, according to numbers collected by the Glendale Police Department, the last year alone saw a 46% decrease in traffic incidents involving pedestrians here in Glendale. That decrease is no doubt due to Glendale’s traffic enforcement, infrastructure improvements, and latest outreach effort, “Be Street Smart Glendale”. The latter program educates and encourages residents, especially the young and old, to take personal responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others when walking, driving, or biking in Glendale. The initiative is data-driven, and educates drivers of all ages to consider the pedestrians and bikers who share Glendale’s roadways. Glendale’s falling pedestrian collision rate, coupled with the initial success of the “Be Street Smart Glendale” initiative, show that influencing behavior change can make our community a safer place for all.
For more information on Be Street Smart Glendale, visit www.bestreetsmartglendale.com
MyGlendaleCityNews is your online hub for all official Glendale news and updates. We're dedicated to informing and entertaining readers by showcasing all Glendale has to offer from a local government, cultural and business perspective.