The holiday season brings joy, celebration, and cherished time with loved ones, but it also brings some of the most challenging traffic conditions of the year. Whether it's families traveling for Thanksgiving, shoppers flooding retail districts during the winter holidays, or summer vacationers heading to popular destinations, the dramatic increase in vehicle traffic puts tremendous strain on our roadways. Traffic managers, city planners, and community safety officials face the difficult task of keeping both residents and visitors safe during these peak travel periods.

Pedestrian Safety Month serves as a critical reminder of the dangers pedestrians face on the road every day. Initiated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this month-long observance focuses on reducing the tragic number of pedestrian fatalities that occur each year in the U.S. Over 7,500 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in 2022 alone, with most incidents happening at non-intersection locations or intersections equipped with traditional traffic control devices.

Every day, millions of children across the United States make the journey to and from school. While this trip should be safe and straightforward, many students face significant hazards, including busy intersections, poorly maintained sidewalks, and high-speed traffic zones that put their safety at risk. The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was created to address these challenges, providing communities with the resources and funding needed to make walking and biking to school safer and more accessible for all students.