ARKANSAS, USA — The Arkansas State Police (ASP) Highway Safety Office announced a campaign aimed at protecting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
The campaign, called Extreme Safety, will run from Sept. 3 to Sept. 16.
"We're just trying to reduce the number of fatalities that we've had in the past few years," Capt. Brad Lann with ASP said.
According to the press release, ASP said the campaign will focus on safety tips for drivers, such as avoiding distractions, watching speed limits, and being aware of pedestrians and cyclists around crosswalks.
The press release also reminds cyclists to wear a helmet while riding bikes and getting their brakes checked. Additionally, ASP advises pedestrians to remain on the sidewalks and be aware of cars passing by.
"Limit those distractions in your vehicle," Lann said. "You know that phone has been responsible for a lot of accidents across our state for a number of years."
According to data provided to 5NEWS from ASP, there have been 2,407 pedestrian crashes and 837 bicycle crashes in the state from 2020 to 2023.
Washington County ranked in the top 3 in both categories, and Mobility Coordinator for the City of Fayetteville Dane Eifling said this is an issue the city is looking to address.
Eifling said the city hopes to eliminate serious injury and fatal crashes by 2030 through its Vision Zero initiative.
"Everybody that you know has been affected — a family member, a loved one, somebody that you care about — has been involved in a serious or more fatal car accident, and we don't want to accept that as being just part of using our transportation system," Eifling said.
Eifling said the project should cost around $33 million with a majority of it paid for through a federal grant that was awarded to the city. The initiative takes a holistic approach to solving pedestrian and cyclist crashes and fatalities in the city.
Eifling said the city is designing more sidewalks, safer pedestrian crossings, protected bike spaces, and shorter and more enhanced crosswalks with elevation and lighted signs.
He said the city has identified key areas throughout Fayetteville that tend to have the most crashes, and work will start on those projects first.
"There's a variety of tools like that that will fit into almost every design solution, and we're trying to administer or implement as many of those as we can," Eifling said.
Eifling said the grant money for the projects needs to be allocated in five years. He said the various projects are in different stages of completion, but he believes construction on Maple Street will begin first.
Vision Zero is also providing education and awareness for pedestrians and cyclists. He said they will look into ideas such as providing bike helmets, bike lights, radar feedback signs, and educational materials on how people can stay safe on the road.
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