Editorial Patterns in Bicyclist and Pedestrian Crash Reporting

Abstract

The World Health Organization characterizes traffic deaths as a preventable health epidemic. Despite the scale of the problem, this issue has not led to a concerted call to action. Why not? The field of media studies offers potential insight. Not only does media coverage help determine which issues merit attention, coverage also shapes how issues are framed. The aim of this paper is to examine local news coverage of vehicle crashes involving someone walking or biking. To that end, this paper used content analysis of 200 local news articles to answer the research questions: (1) How do articles apportion blame between vulnerable road users (VRUs) and drivers?; (2) To what extent do articles frame crashes as a public health issue? The results reveal that local news coverage tends to shift blame toward VRUs and away from drivers. Coverage almost always treats crashes as isolated incidents, obscuring the public health nature of the problem. This pattern of coverage likely contributes to the limited public outcry about pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. Journalists can counteract these patterns by subtly altering their coverage. Planners can assist these efforts by making their expertise readily available to journalists. These simple changes would help the public identify links between seemingly isolated events and increase public pressure to reduce road deaths.

Active Transportation Policies: Do Media Narratives Matter?

“…News describe the fault as being that of the pedestrians or bicyclists, and their inability to follow the rules, which then shape the problem as one of reckless behavior of the bicyclists. Further, the media isolates incidences making them seem as if they are isolated events, rather than an overall problem (Ralph et al, 2019). Such narratives shift the solutions to those that can improve the bicyclists' behavior rather than a more complete view of the motorist's behavior, road conditions, or other problems that might be factors.…”

Understanding Fatal Crash Reporting Patterns in Bangladeshi Online Media using Text Mining

“…When forming risk perceptions about public health issues such as road safety, media coverage on fatal road crashes can play a crucial role ( 4–10 ). Providing detailed information about any road crashes and portraying the benefits of preventive measures can help others to evaluate their own injury risk, which leads to effective policymaking for the advancement of road safety ( 4 , 6 , 7 ).…”

“…Both print and online news portals are now easily accessible and more affordable with the help of technological improvements. Detailed media coverage on road crash risks, their root causes, and reported consequences can bring significant social change ( 4–7 ) and be an exceptional source of injury surveillance systems for any country ( 6 , 9 , 11–13 ).…”

“…The comprehension of the nature of media content is crucial to educate others on fatal road crash prevention and implement safety policies ( 4–7 ). However, print media in developing countries lose the opportunity for public education by failing to include injury-mitigating measures.…”

“…An analysis conducted on Ghanaian newspapers reveals that only 22% of articles cover pedestrian injuries, which account for 50% of the traffic fatalities in Ghana ( 8 ). In many developed countries such as the United States, road fatalities are reported in newspapers as isolated events, concealing the problem with the nature of public health ( 4–6 ).…”