High Quality Public Transportation Can Provide Huge Traffic Safety Benefits

Public transportation increases safety. Transit travel has a tenth of the traffic fatality rate as automobile travel, and transit-oriented communities have about a fifth the per capita traffic casualty rate as in automobile-oriented communities.

3 minute read

September 8, 2016, 1:00 PM PDT

By Todd Litman

Quito BRT

Institute for Transportation & Development Policy

A new study released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows that a person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90 percent simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car. This means traveling by public transportation is ten times safer per mile than traveling by auto.
 
The study, The Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation, reveals that transit-oriented communities have about a fifth the per capita traffic casualty rate (fatalities and injuries) as automobile-oriented communities. This means public transit cuts a community’s crash risk in half even for those who do not use public transit. Public transportation communities spur compact development which reduces auto miles traveled and produces safer speeds. 
 
“It is time we employ public transit as a traffic safety tool because it can dramatically reduce the crash risk for individuals as well as a community,” said APTA Acting CEO and President Richard White.  “While no mode of travel is risk free, the safety of public transit is striking when observing the number of fatalities that are a result of auto crashes.”
 
According to recent data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 35,092 fatalities as a result of auto accidents in 2015. That is an increase of 7.2 percent from 2014, the largest since 1966. While APTA officials note that even one death is one too many, the small number of fatalities related to public transit travel pale in comparisons to the tens of thousands of lives lost on our roadways every year.    
 
The study shows that auto deaths and injury rates tend to decline significantly in a community as public transit ridership increases. Cities that average more than 50 annual transit trips per capita have about half the average traffic fatality rates as cities where residents average fewer than 20 annual trips. Since Americans average about 1,350 annual trips on all modes, this increase from less than 20 to more than 50 annual transit trips represents a small increase in transit mode share, from about 1.5 percent up to about 4 percent. That equates to an increase in transit mode share of less than 3 trips a month per person.  

When paired with traditional roadway traffic safety strategies, public transit can be very valuable in addressing high-risk and vulnerable driver groups, according to the study. Efforts to reduce higher risk driving, such as graduated licenses for teens, senior driving testing, and impaired and distracted driving campaigns, become more effective if implemented in conjunction with public transit improvements. For instance, urban teens take five times as many public transit trips and drive half as much and have about half the per capita auto death rate. As a result, both youth and total traffic fatality rates decline with increased public transit travel.
 
Youth and Total Traffic Fatality Rates
 
“This study makes clear that public transportation investment and supportive policies continue to save lives and reduce injuries for travelers and our most vulnerable road users as more shift from the automobile to public transit,” said White.  “The community-wide crash reductions, as a result from decreasing auto travel and safer speeds, multiply as areas become stronger transit oriented communities.”
 
The study was prepared for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, based on analysis of public transit, traffic safety and public health data. A fact sheet on the study can be found here and quotes by public transit, traffic safety, and public health leaders can be found here. 

FULL STORY: The Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation

Thursday, September 8, 2016 in American Public Transportation Association

Transportation United States Traffic Safety Public Transportation Crash Risk

Related

Racing Cars

Let’s End Traffic Stops

The technology to make traffic enforcement obsolete is becoming available. But in the U.S. willing to use it?

June 6, 2022 - Angie Schmitt

Protected Bike Lane

Nation's Top Safety Board Recommends Protected Bike Lanes

The NTSB chair issued a stark warning on Nov. 5: "If we do not improve roadway infrastructure for bicyclists, bicyclists will die who otherwise would not," stated Robert Sumwalt in introducing their first report in 47 years devoted to bike safety.

November 19, 2019 - National Transportation Safety Board

New York Public Transit

Transit Riders Face the Highest Safety Risks in These 10 States

According to federal data, the average number of safety incidents on public transportation averaged 55.2 per 100,000 people across all states between 2010 and 2023. Which states came in well above the national average?

April 18, 2024 - PropertyCasualty360

Most Read

Aerial view of homes on green hillsides in Daly City, California.

Depopulation Patterns Get Weird

A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.

April 10, 2024 - California Planning & Development Report

Large blank mall building with only two cars in large parking lot.

Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House

If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.

April 18, 2024 - Central Penn Business Journal

Aerial view of Oakland, California with bay in background

California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million

Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.

April 11, 2024 - Los Angeles Times

Latest News

Young woman and man seated on subway car looking at phones.

Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features

It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.

April 19 - BGR

Ohio state capitol dome against dramatic lightly cloudy sky.

Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production

A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.

April 19 - Daytona Daily News

Aerial view of Interstate 290 or Eisenhower Expressway in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant

Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.

April 19 - Streetsblog Chicago

Jobs

Economic and Development Services Director

City of Costa Mesa

Planning Director

Licking County

Senior Planner

Barrett Planning Group LLC

View More Post Job
Advertise with us

Events

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

View More Post Event

RFPs and RFQs

Comprehensive Plan Update

City of Universal City TX

Open Space & Parks Master Plan, Pea Ridge, Arkansas

ULI Northwest Arkansas

Comprehensive Plan RFQ

Town of Zionsville

View More Post RFP
Planetizen Courses

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

View More