It wouldn't hurt to walk: promoting pedestrian injury research

In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) developed a comprehensive research agenda that described the research needs and priorities for 2009–18.1 The research priorities were identified as those that warrant the greatest attention and intramural and extramural resources from the NCIPC during the next 10 years. For all priorities in the research agenda, special attention was given to vulnerable populations who experience disparate, increased injury risks. Pedestrian safety was identified as a priority area because pedestrians are a vulnerable population, the burden of pedestrian injuries is large (40 000 pedestrians killed in the United States since 2000), and there is a need to develop and implement effective interventions. SAVIR and CDC have been working together to identify strategies to promote the research agenda and identify resources that could be used to help fund the research priorities. Pedestrian injuries have been identified as a focus area for this partnership with the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at CDC. The built environment encompasses all aspects of one's surroundings that are human-made or modifiable.2 Traditionally, research on the built environment and physical activity has focused on land use patterns, physical infrastructure of roads, and sidewalks.3 Recently, the social environment, for example, crime, violence, and physical disarray, has also been recognised as an important factor when considering physical activity.4 Walking …