Safer Than You Think! Revising the Transit Safety Narrative

Public transportation is overall a relatively safe (low crash risk) and secure (low crime risk) mode of transport. Transit travel has about a tenth the traffic casualty (death or injury) rate as automobile travel, and residents of transit-oriented communities have about a fifth the per capita crash casualty rate as in automobile-oriented communities. Transit also tends to have lower overall crime rates than automobile travel, and many transit service improvements can further increase security by improving surveillance and economic opportunities for at-risk populations. Despite its relative safety and security, many people consider public transit dangerous, and so are reluctant to use it or support service expansions in their communities. Various factors contribute to this excessive fear, including the nature of public transit travel, heavy media coverage of transit-related crashes and crimes, and conventional traffic safety messages which emphasize danger rather than safety. Transit agencies can help create a new safety narrative by better measuring and communicating transit’s overall safety and security impacts, and providing better guidance concerning how users and communities can enhance transit safety. and security