A new California law provides an incentive for commercial property owners to install barriers to protect outdoor diners.
The law enables insurance companies to offer discounts on commercial property policyholders’ premiums if they install safety barriers. The legislation came after outdoor dining and similar streetside venues became commonplace during the Covid pandemic.
As outdoor dining increased, so did deaths and injuries from vehicles crashing into diners and pedestrians, according to the Storefront Safety Council. “These tragedies happen all around the U.S. when property owners fail to protect outdoor diners and others from errant drivers,” says storefront safety expert Rob Reiter, who co-founded the Storefront Safety Council. “It just takes one crash to end a life—and put a restaurant or small retailer out of business.”
According to the Council:
- Storefront crashes occur more than 100 times per day in the U.S.
- Nearly half (46%) of all storefront crashes result in injury, and 8% result in a fatality.
- Each year in the U.S., as many as 16,000 people are injured and as many as 2,600 are killed in vehicle-into-building crashes.
These figures are based on more than 10 years of data collection by the Council. Its national database of compiled storefront crashes numbers over 24,000 incidents, with additional confirming data on more than 15,000 other vehicle-into-building and related incidents.
Related Stories
| Feb 1, 2012
‘Augmented reality’ comes to the job site
A new software tool derived from virtual reality is helping Building Teams use the power of BIM models more effectively.
| Feb 1, 2012
New ways to work with wood
New products like cross-laminated timber are spurring interest in wood as a structural material.
| Feb 1, 2012
Blackney Hayes designs school for students with learning differences
The 63,500 sf building allows AIM to consolidate its previous two locations under one roof, with room to expand in the future.
| Feb 1, 2012
Two new research buildings dedicated at the University of South Carolina
The two buildings add 208,000 square feet of collaborative research space to the campus.
| Feb 1, 2012
List of Top 10 States for LEED Green Buildings released?
USGBC releases list of top U.S. states for LEED-certified projects in 2011.
| Feb 1, 2012
ULI and Greenprint Foundation create ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance
Member-to-member information exchange measures energy use, carbon footprint of commercial portfolios.
| Feb 1, 2012
AEC mergers and acquisitions up in 2011, expected to surge in 2012
Morrissey Goodale tracked 171 domestic M&A deals, representing a 12.5% increase over 2010 and a return to levels not seen since 2007.
| Jan 31, 2012
AIA CONTINUING EDUCATION: Reroofing primer, in-depth advice from the experts
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Jan 31, 2012
28th Annual Reconstruction Awards: Modern day reconstruction plays out
A savvy Building Team reconstructs a Boston landmark into a multiuse masterpiece for Suffolk University.
| Jan 31, 2012
Chapman Construction/Design: ‘Sustainability is part of everything we do’
Chapman Construction/Design builds a working culture around sustainability—for its clients, and for its employees.