Be Super Safe in SLU!
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Join us September 12th at 5:30 p.m. at the South Lake Union Discovery Center to help kick off SLU's exciting Look Out for Each Other street safety campaign.
On an average day on the streets of Seattle there are 33 collisions involving people walking, biking, or driving. These crashes snarl traffic and create real headaches for everyone. Crashes are costly, requiring a significant use of public resources. But the biggest impact is on the crash victims—their families, health care costs, lost wages, increased insurance premiums.
And yet, 90% of these collisions are preventable. By whom? By all of us— if we would simply Look Out for Each Other. By taking personal responsibility for our preventable behaviors like speeding, moving about while distracted and operating bicycles and cars and scooters while impaired, we would reduce the risk to ourselves and one another. The city's 2012 Road Safety Summit Action Plan is moving into Seattle neighborhoods through the Be Super Safe public awareness campaign—South Lake Union is leading the safety parade!
"Growth is coming so fast in South Lake Union—the Community Council is committed to guiding development of this neighborhood to create a liveable, sustainable and safe community for all of us to enjoy, whether as employees, residents or visitors," notes South Lake Union Community Council board member Robbie Phillips. "However we choose to move about in the South Lake Union neighborhood—whether on foot, pedaling a bike, riding the streetcar or driving a car—we must be thoughtful and predictable in our behaviors."
The Be Super Safe Road Safety Forum kicks off its citywide tour on September 12 at the Discovery Center with interactive presentations to raise awareness about what's happening on our city streets, including information about new roadway features like bicycle boxes, collisions in our neighborhood, and the top safety tips for all modes of transportation. This is the information you need to know to Be Super Safe on our street.
"Road safety is a significant public health issue and has been a priority of my administration," notes Mayor Mike McGinn. "Too many families are impacted every year by collisions that are entirely preventable. I encourage people to come out and learn about what you can do that will be most effective in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our streets, whether you choose to travel on foot, by bike, by transit, or by car."
Since we all have a right to use our streets and sidewalks safely, no matter how we choose to get around, it's time we start looking out for one another – building a culture of empathy. The father pushing the stroller across Westlake might be your co-worker; the young woman biking to her Cornish dorm room on 7th Avenue could be your daughter or sister; and the couple driving home to Capitol Hill might be you and your partner. If you knew these folks personally, you would surely give them a safe distance to cross, turn or pass. Well, guess what? You do know them, because they could be you!
Let's learn to Look Out for Each Other in the coming South Lake Union Be Super Safe presentation on September 12 at the Discovery Center and show the City once again that SLU leads the way in livability!
