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AARP AARP States Nebraska Advocacy

Let's make our streets safer for everyone

Connie_5096 1218 2013
Shane Dwyer
The following letter to the editor from AARP Nebraska State Director Connie Benjamin was recently published in several Nebraska newspapers.

Crossing the street shouldn’t mean putting your life at risk. Safe, well-designed streets and crosswalks are vital to our communities.

Tragically, a pedestrian is killed every two hours in the U.S. In 2013, one-fifth of children under age 14 killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

Older adults are also exceptionally vulnerable, comprising 20 percent of all pedestrian deaths. In fact, nearly half of adults age 50 and older surveyed by AARP said they could not safely cross the main streets in their neighborhoods.

The Senate recently passed legislation including bipartisan, pedestrian safety improvements sponsored by Sens. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, and Dean Heller, a Republican from Nevada . The amendment moves us toward ensuring that transportation investments provide safe travel for pedestrians and everyone who uses the road, regardless of their age or ability.



Sen. Deb Fischer is a member of the conference committee that will shape a final agreement on a transportation bill. She can help reduce these tragic fatalities by ensuring that strong pedestrian safety measures in the Senate transportation bill remain in the final conference report with the House.

We are counting on Sen. Fischer’s leadership to help make Nebraska’s streets and communities safer.

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