For as many reasons there are for living here and all the great things it has to offer, most of us would agree we also live here for what its not! There are plenty of places we could live that are industrialized, crime ridden and congested. Our community strives to balance itself with responsible management, but there is something we can do as individuals’ everyday.... Slow Down! As one of the lar
gest towns by land mass in Massachusetts, roads are abundant and sidewalks are scarce. We need to respect or friends, neighbors and fellow citizens by Slowing Down! Speeding causes more noise, accidents and even death and negatively impacts the morals Belchertown stands for. Please help the community and possibly save a life, check your speed and Slow Down! Some Facts about Pedestrians and Speeding. There were a total of 4,092 pedestrian fatalities in 2009, the 14-and-younger age
group accounted for 244 (6%) of those fatalities. About one-fifth (19%) of the traffic fatalities in the 14-and-younger age group were pedestrians. ~nhtsa.gov
In 2009, an estimated 59,000 pedestrians were injured, 13,000 of those injured were age 14 and younger, and males accounted for 55 percent (7,000) of those 13,000 injured. ~nhtsa.gov
A total of 630 pedalcyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. The
14-and-younger age group accounted for 12 percent (74) of those fatalities, and
males accounted for 76 percent (56) of the fatalities among pedalcyclists age 14 and younger.
