The Revere Police Department was awarded $5,625 to improve traffic safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Executive Office of Public Safety grant will pay for police overtime to increase compliance with traffic laws. Departments are also eligible to purchase equipment to enhance the visibility of crosswalks and to buy bicycle helmets.
In total, more than $375,000 was given to 84 police departments statewide with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. in 2016, the most recent data available. Pedestrians now account for a larger proportion, 16 percent, of traffic fatalities than they have in the past 33 years.
In Massachusetts, that rate is even higher, with pedestrians representing more than 20 percent of all traffic fatalities. Bicyclists are dying at higher rates nationally as well. The 840 killed in traffic crashes in 2016 are the most since 1991, according to national data.
“Bicyclists and pedestrians are at risk because they may not be immediately visible to drivers, and unlike those in vehicles, nothing protects them in a crash,” said Police Chief James Guido, in a statement. “We’ll use crash data and community input to identify crosswalks, intersections, and roadways where our enforcement efforts can yield the largest impact on pedestrian and bicyclist safety.”
