CRJ101.B4W: Fall River Police Department (Jackson): Project 1
This course research guide was built to support students in Professor Jackson's CRJ101 researching multiple projects for the Fall River Police Department
BICYCLE SAFETY & TRAFFIC GARDENS
This page will help you research Project 1. Sources here will help you identify statistics on bicycle injuries and fatalties as well as articles evaluating the efficacy of traffic gardens.
Context: Bicycle accidents are increasing, particularly among young teenagers, resulting in significant injuries.
Proposed Solution: Implementing "Traffic Gardens" - designated areas with mini-roadways to educate children on the rules of the road.
Research Need: compile statistics on bicycle accidents, including age, injury, and fatality data both nationally and specific to Massachusetts. Additionally, this project requires data on the effectiveness of Traffic Gardens, potential costs, and suitable locations. We also need to explore how this initiative could improve community relations with the police department, such as through bike rodeos and safety events. For reference, Newport, RI, recently built a Traffic Garden.
Identifying Statistics
- Bicycle safety fact sheetSchool-aged children, 5-18, account for more than 50% of all nonfatal bicycle injuries in MA. Each year, approximately 5,566 school aged children, are hospitalized or treated in emergency rooms for bicycle injuries. Among this population, most non-fatal bike injuries occur in 10 to 14 year olds; boys are also 3 times more likely to be injured as bicyclists than girls.
- Boston EMS 2020 Cyclist & Pedestrian ReportBoston EMS and the City of Boston work closely with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and are dedicated to ensuring all streets are safe for all users by monitoring and applying traffic safety data to reduce future incidents
- CDC's WISQARSAn interactive, online collection of analysis tools or fatal, nonfatal, and cost of injury data.
- Centers for Disease Control: Bicycle SafetyFact Sheet from the CDC.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Bicycle SafetyBicyclists,[1] like motorcyclists, are not safeguarded by occupant protection measures found in passenger vehicles and face comparatively high exposure to injury risks in crashes on the roadway.
- NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Bicyclists and Other CyclistsAs defined for this fact sheet, pedalcyclists areicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheel, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals. This fact sheet does not include pedalcyclist crashes that do not involve motor vehicles.
- Pedestrian and Bicyclists safetyFor the past five years (2017 – 2021), Massachusetts has averaged approximately 70 pedestrian fatalities per year. Males accounted for 60% of these deaths. In 2021, there were 76 pedestrian fatalities reported in Massachusetts.
Building the Cycling City by Publication Date: 2018-08-28In car-clogged urban areas across the world, the humble bicycle is enjoying a second life as a legitimate form of transportation. City officials are rediscovering it as a multi-pronged (or -spoked) solution to acute, 21st-century problems, including affordability, obesity, congestion, climate change, inequity, and social isolation. As the world's foremost cycling nation, the Netherlands is the only country where the number of bikes exceeds the number of people, primarily because the Dutch have built a cycling culture accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or economic means.
Recommended Databases
- Access World News (NewsBank) This link opens in a new windowAccess World News delivers valuable information for academic research and coursework across the curriculum including history, political science, criminal justice, health sciences, finance, DEI and more. News brings classroom learning to life, adding real world context to make assignments more relevant.
Because the topics covered by news media are so diverse, this relevant primary source content supports students and faculty seeking information on current and historical issues, events, and people. - Newspaper Source This link opens in a new windowProvides cover-to-cover full text for more than 40 national (U.S.) and international newspapers, including Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Times (London), Toronto Star, etc. It also contains selective full text for more than 330 regional (U.S.) newspapers. In addition, full-text television & radio news transcripts are provided from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR, etc.
- New York Times (NYT) Online Edition This link opens in a new windowNow Access the New York Times Online (digital) Edition! No more paywalls, access the NYT in real time, online. You will be asked to create an account, CLICK HERE for instructions and video instructions.