Bethany Beach W.A.V.E. campaign promotes pedestrian safety

In a continuing effort to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety, the Town of Bethany Beach recently announced a new public awareness campaign called WAVE for Safety in Bethany Beach.

WAVE stands for Wait/Watch, Assess, Verify and Engage/Enter when considering traffic patterns and crosswalks. A series of videos was produced to illustrate the initiative; they can be seen on the Bethany Beach YouTube channel.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration studies and the Office of Highway Safety, Delaware has one of the highest per capita pedestrian fatality rates in the nation. Approximately 24% of all traffic fatalities involve pedestrians. To address this, the town established a bicycle and pedestrian safety committee that was instrumental in bringing the concept to fruition.

The WAVE campaign is just one way the town works to provide a safe environment for its residents and visitors. In the summer, the Bethany Beach Police Department regularly conducts safety checkpoints to install bike lights and distribute informational flyers. The full-time officers work overtime running patrols geared toward bicycle and pedestrian safety, and public awareness. In the 2022 season, the Town of Bethany Beach installed crosswalk notification posts at all high-volume pedestrian areas along Coastal Highway.

Once the the Bethany Beach YouTube channel reaches 1,000 subscribers, the town can begin to stream concerts.