Affordable measures help State and local agencies implement policies, procedures, and proven engineering treatments to make uncontrolled crossing locations safer

The Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) program promotes a set of cost-effective countermeasures that can enhance pedestrian safety and reduce fatalities at uncontrolled crossing locations.

About 72 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at uncontrolled crossing locations, such as midblock areas and intersections with no signals or stop signs.  STEP countermeasures help State and local agencies implement policies, procedures, and proven engineering treatments to make uncontrolled crossing locations safer.   STEP focuses on five treatments to help pedestrians cross the road safely:

• Crosswalk visibility enhancements—including crosswalk lighting, enhanced signing and marking, and curb extensions—can reduce total crashes by 23 to 48 percent.

• Raised crosswalks are a traffic-calming technique that can reduce vehicle speeds, encourage drivers to yield to pedestrians, and lower pedestrian crashes by 45 percent.

• Pedestrian refuge islands provide a safer place for pedestrians to stop at the midpoint of a road before crossing the remaining distance, which can decrease pedestrian crashes by 32 percent.

• Pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs) provide a stop control treatment for higher speed multilane roads where pedestrian volumes aren’t high enough to warrant a traffic signal. PHBs can reduce pedestrian crashes by 55 percent.

• Road diets, which reconfigure a roadway cross-section to safely accommodate all users, can decrease vehicle speeds, reduce the number of lanes pedestrians must cross, and create space for new pedestrian facilities. Road diets can cut total crashes by 19 to 47 percent.