Last year, 21 pedestrians and a bicyclist were struck and killed by vehicles in Maine.
Jean Sideris of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine said the number of deaths has remained consistent and the causes include driver speed, distraction and impairment, as well as road design.
“All too often we’re designing our transportation system for speed,” she said. “To move vehicles quickly through an area rather than thinking, ‘How do we move people safely and efficiently?'”
She also urged drivers to not just watch for other vehicles, but for people biking and walking on roadways.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.