A Laurelhurst Blog reader sent in email saying:
Dear Laurelhurst Blog,
It occurred to me that a UW home football game is scheduled for tomorrow, Halloween evening, at 8pm. This will create huge safety issues for neighborhoods around Husky Stadium.
Can you imaging UW fans driving up and down neighborhood streets while families and kids are trying cross? Or kids not paying attention to traffic? I can see fans driving around neighborhoods looking for parking, just as the sun is setting, around 6-6:30pm as streets are getting darker.
What can SDOT do to make the streets safer? How did SDOT allowed this to happen?
Halloween and UW football games are both traditions that impact our communities. SDOT doesn’t have influence over the timing of either.
We will communicate with the UW and suggest that they reach out to ticket holders to help remind drivers that they need to be extra alert when they are traveling to the game.
We are currently reminding all travelers to be mindful of travel safety tips as fall has arrived and with it shorter days and rainy weather. Reminders such as visibility, following speed limits and paying attention to vehicles and people around us are critical for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike.
Here are the reminders SDOT is referring to recently published in an SDOT News Release:
Traveler Safety Tips for Darker, Rainy Months
City reminds people driving, biking, and walking to practice extra safety this fall and winter; longer nights and wet weather mean extra risks for travelers
SEATTLE – Fall has arrived in the northwest bringing rainy weather and shorter days. Statistically, there are more collisions during the darker and wetter months of the year. Seattle is actively working to raise safety awareness and improve safety on our streets through Vision Zero, the citywide plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The Seattle Department of Transportation is sharing some important safety tips for everyone as they travel the streets of Seattle this fall and winter.
“Safety is all about simple steps and choices we make every day. Driving the speed limit, making sure you’re being seen, and putting your phone away are critical for everyone’s safety,” said SDOT Director Scott Kubly. “With Halloween and the Daylight Savings coming up, we want to remind people driving, biking, and walking to use extra caution out on the roadways.”
TOP TIPS FOR SAFER TRAVELING
Focus on the Road
Distracted driving incidents have more than tripled since 2011. People driving need to pay attention and put the phone away when they get in the car. That call or text can wait.
Make Smart Choices
Taking personal responsibility on our streets means not driving impaired—which remains the single biggest contributing factor to fatalities. If you’ve had too much to drink, park it, cab it, take transit or use a rideshare service such as Uber or Lyft.
Slow Down
• The laws of physics tell us that higher speeds result in more crashes, injuries, and deaths: When a person who is walking is hit by a car traveling 40 miles per hour, that person has a 10 percent chance of survival. Those are not good odds.
• The good news is that, if we slow traffic down a little, something remarkable happens: When a person who is walking is hit by a car travelling 20 miles per hour, the survival rate jumps to 90 percent.
See and Be Seen
People driving need to pay extra attention. People walking and biking need to make sure they are visible. The best way to do this is to wear reflectors or bright colored clothing. If you’re riding a bike, use lights and reflective stickers. And remember, drivers are required to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, whether it is marked or unmarked.
Please be aware of each other as you’re getting around and travel safely. For more information on Vision Zero, visit www.seattle.gov/visionzero. #VisionZeroSEA
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