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Entries tagged: Safe Streets Save Lives

Just in time for the long weekend, we’ve uploaded a number of new videos to the Alliance Resource Library this week. But that’s not all…

• Before you press play and kick back with YouTube, make sure you delve into two important reports that came out this week:
  • Dangerous By Design 2011 was released by Transportation for America on Tuesday, casting the spotlight on the epidemic of preventable pedestrian deaths across the U.S.

  • The Advocacy Advance team released a new/updated report on “Getting a Fair Share for Safety from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP): Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy Case Studies,” examining the states that have successfully dedicated federal safety funds to reduce bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and crashes.

• As for the videos…

  • A beautiful two minutes of inspiration from our friends at Planet Bike

  • Four great, new PSAs from the just-launched Safe Streets Save Lives campaign in South Carolina

  • An impressive “Active and Green Transportation” video produced by high school students in Marin County, CA

  • A video from Transportation Alternatives, highlighting the work of Bronx residents — and students — in improving safety at a dangerous intersection

  • A video from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition featuring three residents talking about their desire for bike lanes on 7th Street — in three different languages

  • A clip from “Beauty and the Bike” — a movie documenting an effort to get more girls riding in Darlington, UK (a resource that came up in our Mutual Aid Call on Bringing More Women into the Movement earlier this week!)

  • And, last but not least, some informative and humorous PSAs from the New York City Department of Transportation telling cyclists “Don’t be a Jerk” and obey traffic laws (don’t miss Commissioner Jannette Sadik-Khan calling John Leguizamo a jerk!)

Enjoy — and have a great long weekend!

After a year in the making, the Safe Streets Save Lives collaboration launched last week with a series of new, educational PSAs and the stories of lives cut tragically short by bicycle crashes.

The South Carolina initiative was the result of an innovative partnership between the advocates at Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the attorneys at MyBikeLaw.com.

The Safe Streets concept got its start back in 2008, after the PCC successfully campaigned for the reform to SC’s bicycle traffic laws. That victory led the advocates to partner with Charleston-based attorney, Peter Wilborn, of MyBikeLaw.com, in leading more than a dozen bicycle safety workshops for law enforcement and implementing other efforts around the state. In 2010, the two organizations set their sights on a long-term strategic bicycle safety campaign for South Carolina.

Safe Streets Save Lives is the tangible result of a simple visionary goal: reducing the number of automobile / bicycle crashes and deaths on South Carolina roads.

“No innovative partnership is a piece of cake,” Wilborn says. “There were bumps in the road, mostly in the early going.  But we were able to do something together we couldn’t do apart. Together, we’re proud of what we produced, and we love that South Carolina can be a model of something great for a change.”

The SSSL campaign produced four video PSAs, each emphasizing the responsibility of cyclists to obey the rules of the road and the requirement of motorists to safely navigate and treat bicyclists with respect.

“We are excited to finally present these videos to the public,” Rachael Kefalos Bronson, PCC Executive Director, says. “Too many people are killed in this state each year in accidents that could be easily prevented. These videos are a wonderful tool to reach more bicyclists and drivers and improve experiences on the road for both groups. It takes cooperation from all sides to improve safety; let’s get there together.”

In addition to the videos, the website compiles helpful (and humorous) tips for cyclists, including “Lights aren’t just Christmas decorations” and “Helmet hair is all the rage.” On a serious note, the initiative also highlights eight South Carolinians who lost their lives in bicycle crashes, including Matthew Burke (whose story we included on the blog back in February).

Watch the videos and read the narratives on the Safe Streets Save Lives website.