Chicago Promotes Pedestrian Safety With Mannequins Representing Pedestrian Fatalities

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 25, 2011 3:40PM

The City Department of Transportation and Chicago Police Department kicked off a pedestrian safety campaign today. Thirty-two mannequins are dressed in black along Wacker Drive from Michigan Avenue to Wells Street. Each mannequin represents one of the 32 pedestrian fatalities recorded in Chicago last year.

CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein said, "You’ll notice that some of it is sort of hard-hitting, some of it may even be a little bit shocking. But we want to remind people that when you are frustrated behind the wheel, these are real people and real lives we are talking about here. Please take that into consideration when you are driving, when you are riding your bike and when you are walking to look out for those around you."

We're kind of surprised that number isn't higher until we did some digging and found a 2006 report on pedestrian fatalities from the National Highway traffic Safety Administration. that report listed Chicago among the top five cities in the nation for pedestrian fatalities, with 48. The report also indicated pedestrian safety was improving.