Summary of data on crashes in unincorporated Knox County involving pedestrians and bicyclists

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1 Summary of data on crashes in unincorporated Knox County involving pedestrians and bicyclists Total numbers There were 5 crashes involving either pedestrians or bicyclists. 44 crashes involved pedestrians, while 7 involved bicyclists. The crashes occurred between August of 20 and December of 206, a total of 65 months, for a rate of 0.8 crashes per month or 9 crashes per year. Almost all of the crashes (47, or 92 percent) involved the injury or death of a person walking or bicycling. 38 crashes involved injuries only, and another 9 involved a fatality. The 9 fatalities all occurred among people walking. Table shows the number of crashes per year. Ped Bike Total The location of 2 crashes (4 percent) is uncertain because of incomplete information in the crash reports. This report focuses on the 49 remaining crashes where the location is certain. Of the crashes where locations are certain, 3 of them occurred on major arterials (streets such as Clinton Hwy and Oak Ridge Hwy).

2 Types of crashes analyzed in this report This report analyzes certain crash factors. It focuses on identifying locations and behaviors where interventions in the form of design changes, education, or enforcement may help to prevent future crashes. 26 (5 percent) of the total crashes fit into one of these categories. Categories of crashes analyzed in this report are: Drivers failing to yield while turning. Crashes analyzed are ones where the report indicates that the pedestrian or bicyclist was behaving properly while traveling along or across a street, and the driver failed to yield. In locations or corridors with multiple crashes of this type, changes to the geometry of the intersections and/or to the function of the traffic signals may help prevent future crashes. Education and traffic enforcement may be needed as well. People struck by cars while walking in locations without sidewalks. These crashes indicate a need for sidewalks where they are currently missing. Drivers failing to yield while going straight. In these instances, pedestrians are crossing the street in a legal crosswalk, either marked or unmarked, and are struck by a driver. Bicyclists riding in locations without safe facilities. Bicyclists being struck from behind or while riding on the sidewalk indicate the need for a safe bicycle facility along a corridor. 2 People struck by cars while crossing a street outside of an intersection or marked midblock crossing. In these locations, there may be a need to educate pedestrians to cross at appropriate locations, or to provide additional crossings, as the existing crossing are dangerous or inconvenient. Bicyclists riding in an unsafe manner or location. In these cases, the crash report indicated that the bicyclist was riding in a manner that is less than ideal: riding on the street against traffic, or riding at night with no lights. Improved bicycling infrastructure and education for bicyclists may help prevent these types of crashes. Tennessee Code Annotated () defines crosswalk as (A) That part of a roadway at an intersection included within the connections of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on opposite sides of the highway measured from the curbs or, in the absence of curbs, from the edges of the traversable roadway; or (B) Any portion of a roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface. 2 Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is legal in most places. Bicycle safety educators generally warn against riding on the sidewalk, because of the danger from turning motor vehicles. 2

3 TABLE 2: Crash Factors Number of Crashes Percent of Crashes Turning left 5 9. Drivers failing to yield Turning right (not right on red) 5 9 while turning (0 total Turning right on red light 0 0 crashes) Direction of turn unclear Pedestrian struck while walking along corridor without sidewalks Driver failing to yield while going straight Bicyclist riding on sidewalk Pedestrian crossing street outside of an intersection or marked crosswalk 4 6. Bicyclist riding against traffic Driver striking bicyclist from behind Bicyclist riding at night with no lights 0 0 Crash Factor : Drivers failing to yield while turning Of the crashes where a crash factor has been identified, 0 (38 percent) involved pedestrians or bicyclist hit by cars whose drivers failed to yield properly when turning. (This crash factor is identified only where the bicyclist or pedestrian involved was traveling safely and within the law and the driver failed to yield.) Of these, 5 crashes involved drivers turning left; and 5 involved a right turn (not a right on red). 8 of these crashes involved injuries; none were fatalities. 5 of these crashes involved people walking, and 5 involved bicyclists. Two crashes of this type occurred at the same intersection, both involving bicyclists: Hardin Valley Rd at Steele Rd. The locations of all crashes are shown in the table below: TABLE 3: Locations of failure-to-yield crashes Corridor Cross street Left turns Emory Rd Andersonville Pk Hardin Valley Rd Charlevoix Rd Right turn (not on red) Steele Rd Ledgerwood Rd School Access (Halls High) Lovell Rd Schaffer Rd Yarnell Rd Maynardville Pk Cunningham Rd Periwinkle Rd Umber Dr W Beaver Creek Dr Joyce Ln Right turn on red Turn direction unclear 3

4 Crash Factor 2: People struck by cars while walking in locations without sidewalks In crashes (43 percent), a person walking along a street without a sidewalk was hit by a car. (This includes only cases where the crash report finds that the pedestrian was walking along the street when the crash happened, not cases where pedestrians darted into traffic.) 8 of these crashes involved injuries, and 3 involved fatalities. The locations of all crashes of this type follows: TABLE 4: Locations of pedestrians being struck while walking along streets without sidewalks Crash occurred on this street Near the intersection with this street Crosslane Dr Byington Solway Rd Emory Rd Hallbrook Rd Governorwood Dr Macmont Cir Greenwell Rd Crystal Point Dr Hill Rd York Rd Millertown Pk Ellistown Rd Norris Fwy Archibald Way Pelleaux Rd Western Rd Raccoon Valley Dr Fleenor Mill Rd Carter School Rd Mill Chase Dr Tazewell Pk Graceland Rd Crash Factor 3: Driver failing to yield while going straight In 4 crashes (5 percent), drivers were going straight and failed to yield or stop for a person walking or bicycling across the street in a legal crosswalk, either marked or unmarked, or who otherwise has the right of way. Cases are excluded if the crash report indicates that the person walking or bicycling darted into traffic or otherwise entered the street in a way that failed to give the driver sufficient time to yield the right of way. All 4 of these crashes involved pedestrians. 3 of the crashes involved injuries, and the additional crash was a fatality. The locations of all crashes of this type follows: TABLE 5: Locations of pedestrians being struck by drivers failing to yield while going straight Crash occurred on this street Near the intersection with this street Emory Rd Ridge Creek Ln Northshore Dr Nantasket Rd Sedgewick Dr Penwood Dr Tipton Station Rd School Access (South-Doyle High) 4

5 Crash Factor 4: Bicyclist riding on sidewalk Crash Factor 5: Pedestrian crossing street outside of an intersection or marked crosswalk In crash, a pedestrian was crossing the street outside of an intersection or marked crosswalk. It was a fatality. The location was on Ball Camp Byington Rd near Crosslane Rd. Crash Factor 6: Bicyclist riding against traffic Crash Factor 7: Driver striking bicyclist from behind Crash Factor 8: Bicyclist riding at night with no lights Methodology Crash data were downloaded from the TITAN database maintained by the State of Tennessee. Crashes were mapped in ArcMap GIS software based on latitude/longitude or closest intersection, where lat/long data were not available. TPO staff then reviewed the location of each crash to correct data errors. TPO staff assigned crash factors based on information obtained from individual crash reports, including crash narratives and information about citations issued. 5