We are heartbroken to report that a person riding a bicycle was killed crossing Broad St this morning. Michael Buie was traveling east on Erie across Broad St. around 2am when he was hit by a driver traveling southbound on Broad St. Michael passed away at the scene.
It’s especially heavy that as we are still analyzing 2024 fatal crash data, another family is dealing with the tragedy of losing a loved one to traffic violence. Our initial findings show that in total Philadelphia saw a similar number of people lost to traffic violence in 2024 than in 2023. Despite a lower rate of fatal crashes the first 3 quarters of 2024, Philadelphia saw a troubling high number of fatalities in the final quarter of the year.
We don’t have a lot of information about the crash other than what news reports are sharing. According to police, Michael Buie crossed Broad St. against the red light. It’s easy to read this information and blame the victim, however, the goal of Vision Zero is not to prevent all human error but to eliminate the possibility that those errors result in fatality.
What we do know:
- Broad Street has become the most dangerous road in Philadelphia. In 2024, 16 people were killed along the entire stretch compared to 5 people that were killed on Roosevelt Boulevard during the same time.
- The Broad and Erie intersection is especially dangerous and is currently being redesigned to improve safety for people walking and biking. We held our World Day of Remembrance at this intersection in November 2022.
- Despite the speed limit being 25 mph on Broad St. the average speed is much higher. The faster a driver is traveling the higher likelihood of a fatal crash.
- Both Broad Street and Erie Avenue are on the High Injury Network, the 12% of streets with 80% of serious injuries and fatalities.
“In our 15-minute news cycle, an initial account that blames someone who can no longer speak for themselves can set the narrative not just for what befell those individuals, but for how we think about the causes of violence on the roads. Highlighting a victim’s perceived role in their own injury or death diminishes the case for taking a more effective public health approach to traffic violence, which emphasizes causality over blame.”
- Caitlin Rogger, Deputy Executive Director of Greater Greater Washington, writes in ‘Stop blaming victims for traffic violence’ March 7, 2022
We are thinking of Michael’s family and friends during this time. If anyone you know has been involved in a crash or lost someone in a crash and is looking for community, please reach out to Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia by emailing nicole@bicyclecoalition.org.
Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia (FSSGP) is comprised of victims of traffic violence and families whose loved ones have been killed or severely injured by aggressive, reckless, or careless driving, behaviors enabled by dangerous street design. FSSGP represents the full range of greater Philadelphia’s rich diversity and collectively demands an end to traffic violence.