Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Tips

Posted on 03/06/2023 by Traffic Safety Team

Florida’s weather may be unpredictable, but it offers many great opportunities to get outside. Residents, snowbirds, and vacationers enjoy riding their bikes and walking. Your Community Traffic Safety Team wants everyone to stay safe by following these pedestrian and bicyclist safety tips!

*Wear bright colors. Increase your visibility and use bike lights/reflectors.*

With so many people heading outdoors for a bike ride, motorists – please ALWAYS WATCH for bicyclists on the road. Bicyclists, wear bright colors or reflective gear, so you are visible.

*See and be seen. Make eye contact with drivers when crossing streets.*

Walking is great for your health and environment! Lace-up and get moving, but be sure to SEE and BE SEEN. Make eye contact with drivers. Drivers, please look in all directions for people on foot!

bike safety tip — *Be predictable. Use sidewalks where provided. Cross streets where it is legal to do so.*

It’s essential when riding your bicycle to be predictable. Use sidewalks and cross where it is legal. Motorists are to give three feet by law when following or passing cyclists.

*Stop! Look left, right, and left for traffic.*

Walking is a great way to get fresh air and exercise. Remember to look left, right, and left again for traffic. Motorists, please drive with care and share the road.

*Walk defensively. Be prepared for the unexpected.*

Pedestrians should walk defensively and be prepared for the unexpected. Drivers, please remember to focus on driving and eliminate distractions; phones down, eyes up!

*Be careful in parking lots. They can be more hazardous than streets!*

Be careful in busy parking lots – these areas can be more dangerous than streets! Drivers must proceed with caution and be on the lookout for pedestrians.

WALKING AND BIKING DEFENSIVELY

Walking and bike riding are great ways to stay active and healthy. Exercising is also a great tool for people of all ages and improves driving skills, especially older drivers. To learn more, check out our Defensive Driving Tools.

Exercise/Fitness Benefits:

Enhances mobility, flexibility, and balance
- Helps maintain or lose weight
- Reduces impact of illness and chronic disease
- Helps with better sleep and more energy
- Improves mood and self-confidence
- Boosts cognitive function

Click here for more great pedestrian safety tips for walkers and drivers.

Click here for important bicycle safety tips and resources for cyclists and motorists.

Recipes for the Road

Posted on 11/17/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

The Florida Department of Transportation District Two and the Community Traffic Safety Program are excited to present the 25th Annual Recipes for the Road. For a quarter century, we have worked to make a positive impact and help keep people safe on our roads during the holidays. This year we have printed a four-page Recipes for the Road card to distribute throughout Northeast Florida. A 25th-anniversary edition is available online as a digital flipbook or PDF download, and a special limited supply of printed keepsake books.

Much appreciation goes to Northeast Florida’s Community Traffic Safety Team members, partners, and volunteers that continue promoting traffic safety. They share our passion and goal of reducing alcohol-related traffic crashes and fatalities on our roadways. These people and organizations have been instrumental in the success of our Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver program, and the Recipes for the Road booklet for 25 years!

Our goal is to help stop impaired driving and reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes and fatalities in Northeast Florida this holiday season and throughout the year. Every issue is filled with unique nonalcoholic drinks, mocktails, appetizers, treats, and traffic safety tips. Past editions from last year to the inaugural issue in 1997 are available below.

Recipes for the Road is part of our Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver program. The program focuses on the SHSP strategies of both education and insight into creating safer communities. They are specifically designed to work with local partners, including law enforcement, team members, restaurants, and bars, to promote responsible alcohol service and personal use at events or party hosting. The campaign promotes safe transportation choices that encourage alternatives to driving while impaired.

Be Responsible – Do Not Drink and Drive

Thanksgiving through the New Year is a fun and festive time of year. Throughout this fall and winter season there are many celebrations, family gatherings, festivals, football pre-game tailgating and holiday parties. They are all best enjoyed when we celebrate responsibly. Please always drive safe and sober.

Please share and enjoy all these mocktails, food recipes, safety activity games and traffic safety tips. Click here to view our Mocktail drink and food recipe videos available online.

YouTube Mocktail Recipes for the Road Playlist:

Mocktails • Recipes • Safety Tips

Printable 8.5×11 Sheets with Recipe Cards, Traffic Safety, and Impaired Driving Tips

Recipes for the Road, 24th edition - inside pages — 2021 printable PDF

Recipes for the Road - 23rd edition — 2020 printable PDF

Previous Recipes for the Road Editions

Click here to view the Recipes for the Road digital flip bookcase of all volumes. The previous editions are below to view or download a PDF copy:

24th Recipes for the Road — *24th – 2021*

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver

Additional Impaired Driving Information and Resources

FDOT District Two CTSP’s Impaired Driving Traffic Safety Messages
FDOT Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
NHTSA Drug-Impaired Driving and Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
CDC’s Florida Sobering Facts: Alcohol-Impaired Driving fact sheet
CDC’s Drug-Impaired Driving fact sheet
FLHSMV Driving Safety – Impairment is No Illusion

Target Zero

Posted on 08/03/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

The Community Traffic Safety Program is ground ZERO for Target Zero! The Northeast Florida Community Traffic Safety Teams work to connect, interact, plan, design, educate, and solve traffic safety concerns as part of Target Zero.

Northeast Florida Traffic Safety

The Florida Department of Transportation is focused on Target Zero and employing the Safe System Approach in plans and projects. Everyone needs to share in the responsibility; everyone has a role!

FDOT District Two’s Community Traffic Safety Program has targeted traffic safety issues in Northeast Florida since 1994. We collaborate and solve local traffic safety concerns through education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency services. Click here to learn more about the CTSP and District Two Community Traffic Safety Teams.

Learn more about Florida’s Target Zero

On average, eight people are killed, and 49 are seriously injured on Florida’s roads daily. In most of those severe and fatal crashes, driver behavior is a contributing factor. This initiative focuses on connecting, interacting, and designing our transportation system to specifically relate to those (drivers) most involved in crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities.

In Florida, Target Zero builds upon the Vision Zero belief by focusing on influencing dangerous driver behaviors before serious and fatal crashes occur. Target Zero aligns resources and establishes actions for all safety partners to take evolutionary steps to improve how Florida connects, interacts, plans, designs, operates and maintains its transportation system.

Eliminating roadway fatalities is our highest priority. We recognize that achieving zero deaths and serious injuries will not be easy and will require commitment, energy, and innovation. Together, we can make progress to achieve our target of ZERO.

Zero is our goal. A Safe System is how we will get there.

To address the high number of fatal and serious injuries resulting from vehicle crashes, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has made a commitment to zero deaths by adopting the Safe System Approach. This holistic view of the road system anticipates human mistakes and keeps impact energy on the human body at tolerable levels. Safety is an ethical imperative for everyone, including users, designers, and owners of the transportation system.

The Safe System Approach is based on six principles:

Death and serious injury are not acceptable.
Humans make mistakes.
Humans are vulnerable.
Responsibility is shared.
Safety is proactive.
Redundancy is crucial.

Five elements that work together for a safer and more accessible transportation system that aim to reduce severe injuries and fatalities:

Safer Roadways – This includes design and planning to make roadways more forgiving of human mistakes by separating users in time and space. Examples include dedicated bicycle lanes or the implementation of pedestrian scrambles where only pedestrians are given dedicated time and space to navigate intersections.
Safer Speeds – The magnitude of speed is directly correlated to the survivability of a crash. Mitigation examples include implementing countermeasures such as lane narrowing or speed feedback signage or designing context-based roadways that set “target speed” goals to ensure that if a crash occurs, it is at a speed at which humans can survive.
Safer Road Users – This includes ALL road users and encompasses shared responsibility. Users must practice safe behavior, such as using raised medians that protect pedestrians when crossing and make them more visible.
Safer Vehicles – Employing safety measures in vehicles that help prevent crashes or reduce the magnitude of a crash can reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Examples include autonomous braking, lane departure warnings, and driver alcohol detection systems.
Post-Crash Care – This can ensure that when a crash occurs, the proper emergency response is deployed, and all traffic incident management systems work in unison. This includes the integration of emergency vehicle preemption or automatic crash notification systems.

Safe System Approach vs. Traditional Road Safety Practices

Whereas traditional road safety strives to modify human behavior and prevent all crashes, the Safe System approach also refocuses transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives.

Traditional Approach

Prevent crashes

Improve human behavior

Control speeding

Individuals are responsible

React based on crash history

Safe System Approach

Prevent deaths and serious injuries

Design for human mistakes/limitations

Reduce system kinetic energy

Share responsibility

Proactively identify and address risks

Additional information and resources available:

Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida

Posted on 06/01/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

According to a 2021 survey by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), statewide use of safety belts increased slightly, from 89.8% in 2019 to 90.1% in 2021. Of the 18 counties in FDOT District Two, three were surveyed in 2021. Safety belt use in Northeast Florida increased in two out of the three counties surveyed. We are proud of both Alachua and St. Johns for making the list of high-usage counties!

Survey Results in 2021 for Safety Belt Use in Northeast Florida and Statewide

Usage Rates:
• Alachua County 95%
• St Johns County 92.1%
• Statewide Average 90.1%
• Duval County 87.3%

Alachua County Safety Belt Use Rates Highest in Florida

Congratulations, Alachua County, for having the highest usage rates in the state again! Survey results showed that Alachua equaled its highest-ever use rates, at 95.0%, and ranked #1 overall statewide. Alachua has been a long-time winner with buckling up. We are proud of Alachua for consistently remaining at the top of usage rates in Florida.

St. Johns County Rates High in Safety Belt Use

Kudos to St. Johns County for maintaining an above-average usage rate. St. Johns came in at the fifth-highest county in the state with a 92.1% safety belt use rate (a tie with Lee County). Since 2018, St. Johns has rated over 90% safety belt use.

Duval County Safety Belt Use Needs Improvement

We have work to do in Duval County! Of the 2021 counties surveyed, Duval ranked the second–lowest safety belt use rate in the state, at 87.3% (followed only by Volusia at 84.%). Plans are for extensive efforts to provide resources, tools, and support to Duval County by educating others on the importance of buckling up. The FDOT District Two Community Traffic Safety Program (CTSP) has many occupant protection resources on its website and social media platforms.

Occupant Protection Messages in Response to Low Usage Rates

Occupants Ages 16-34: *Be Savvy… Buckle Up*

Occupants in Pickups: *Buckle Up in Your Truck*

Male Occupants: *Be Man Enough to Buckle Up*

Black Occupants: *Buckle Up… Your Life Matters*

Survey Results and Trends

Florida’s 2021 survey results show safety belt use differed by road type. Motorists on higher speed roads are buckling up more, while usage on local, lower speed roads are least likely buckled up. The highest use of safety belts was on interstate highways, at 93.1%, followed by principal arterials at 91.9%. The lowest usage was on local roads, at 87.6%, and minor arterials at 87.3%.

Safety belt usage also differed by vehicle type. Occupants in pickup trucks have exhibited lower usage than those in other vehicle types every year of the survey. SUV occupants frequently used their safety belts at 93.7%, car occupants at 90%, van occupants at 89.9%, and pickup occupants at 81.6%.

Survey results consistently indicated that females were more likely to wear a safety belt every year. In 2021, 92.9% of females buckled up, versus men, at 87.6%.

Occupants ages 35–39 buckled up 91.8% of the time, and those ages 16–34 buckled up the least, at 88.7%. Prior surveys show a similar pattern in usage among age groups.

Overall, safety belt usage has shown an upward trend over time. The 2021 results indicate progress in use among occupants traveling on higher-speed roadways and certain types of vehicles (SUVs). Results also indicate where improvement is still needed among the low belt use groups, including occupants of pickup trucks, black occupants, and occupants traveling on lower-speed roadways.

FDOT State Safety Office administered the annual survey. State survey sites and locations were based on recent traffic fatality counts in 15 Florida counties. Click here to view the Safety Belt Use in Florida 2021 Final Report. (Note: No survey was conducted in 2020.)

Additional Occupant Protection Information and Resources

Wear your seat belt for every ride.
Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.
Secure children in a proper child safety seat.
Safety belt use isn’t just a good idea; IT’S THE LAW.

Your Traffic Safety Team provides a large variety of occupant protection materials via our website and social media channels.

Free social media graphics for sharing
Banners and posters
Bookmarks
Blog posts on Occupant Protection and our Buckle Up Religiously campaign
Occupant protection Buckle Up Buddy Heart craft for kids

Safety Belt Law History

In 1986, Florida implemented its first adult safety belt law. Safety belt use before the law was at 22% statewide. From 1999 to 2004, Florida’s use rate increased from 59% to just over 76% due to FDOT’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign and other efforts across the state. In 2009, Florida passed a primary enforcement safety belt bill, and safety belt use has increased since the law’s passage. Working together, we can continue to increase safety belt use and reduce fatalities and injuries on our roadways.

“Always Buckle Up … for Your Family. For Yourself. For LIFE.”
No Regrets When You BUCKLE UP!

Seasons of Safety

Posted on 02/21/2022 by Traffic Safety Team

Just as the seasons change, so do our safety messages!

The Seasons of Safety campaign was initially created in 2018 and included safety messaging for various holidays and celebrations. Each graphic contains a traffic safety reminder to share on social media. We have created messaging for New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Earth Day, Cinco do Mayo, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, MLK Day, Presidents’ Day, Spring Break and Summer Travel.

We’ve included our collection of traffic safety greetings below. In our archive, at the bottom of this page, you will find past graphics organized by holiday.

Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver and Recipes for the Road

Looking for more holiday messaging and mocktails? Visit the links below for more resources.

The Northeast Florida Department of Transportation District Two Community Traffic Safety Program has promoted our annual Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver campaign and the Recipes for the Road booklet for 24 years. According to Florida’s 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), one out of every four traffic fatalities in Florida involves a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs. Celebrate Safely, Designate a Driver and Recipes for the Road focus on the SHSP strategies of both education and insight into creating safer communities. They are specifically designed to work with local partners including law enforcement, team members, restaurants, and bars to promote responsible alcohol service and personal use at events or party hosting. They also promote safe transportation choices that encourage alternatives to driving while impaired.

Traffic Safety Team

Bringing you home safely

Author Archives: Traffic Safety Team