People move on Little Rock streets by car, bus, bike, and foot (Fig. 1). Some may favor one way over another for lots of reasons, but most residents walk and drive regularly (even if only to get to and from the car).
We have some safety challenges, especially with vehicles hitting people biking and walking. The Little Rock metro area was rated one of the 20 most dangerous places to walk in the United States by the latest two Dangerous by Design reports (2016 and 2019).
The City of Little Rock is making an effort to better engineer our streets for people moving in all of these ways, but education is also an important part of keeping all users safe. Education targeted at cyclists is important, but drivers are at fault in about half of all car vs. bike collisions (pg. 1). The Friendly Driver Program is one of the first of its kind in the country to help teach drivers to more safely drive around cyclists and pedestrians. 
Figure 1. Drivers can help keep pedestrians safe.
If you sometimes drive a motor vehicle in Little Rock, YOU can help make our streets safer for all users! By taking the Friendly Driver course, you can become a City of Little Rock Certified Friendly Driver. CLR Certified Friendly Drivers understand how to safely drive around people driving bikes and walking and know how to use new types of infrastructure installed to make bicyclists and pedestrians safer (e.g. bike lanes, pedestrian hybrid beacons). Even the best drivers will learn something new, I guarantee it!
Initial feedback has been very positive. Anonymous feedback:
“Was the information covered was understandable and useful?” 4.4 out of 5 average
“Was the instructor knowledgeable and helpful?” 4.5 out of 5 average
“Would you recommend the Program to a friend” 92% said “Yes” and 8% said “No”
“How did this course affect your confidence to walk and bike on Little Rock streets?” 58% said “Increased”, 40% said “No Effect” and 2% said “Decreased”
Quotes
“I really enjoyed the training from Jace. He explained everything so well.”
“Thought I knew a lot about Bike/Driver safety—I learned a lot!”
“I would recommend everyone gets a chance to take a course such as this one.”
“ I was able to ask questions to which he gave very useful answers.”
“GREAT CLASS!”
Scores on the post-test increase 155%! over pretest scores. The Program is very effective at teaching drivers to more safely drive around bicyclists and pedestrians. See poster for more details.
This program is free and available to all residents or users of Little Rock streets. Please register at Appointy.com (with the button above) at least 24 hours prior to the class meeting time to avoid the possibility of class cancellation without notice. If you signed up for a class that you are no longer able to attend, please cancel the class on Appointy.com. Scheduled 2019 dates are below (2018 dates, 2019 dates):
Monday, January 13th 9:00-11:00am (Thompson Driving, J)
Tuesday, February 25th 11:00am-1:00pm (Centre, J)
Tuesday, March 17th 5:30-7:30pm (CALS-Fribourgh, E)
Monday, April 6th 5:30-7:30pm (CALS-Fribourgh, S)
Thursday, May 21st 5:30-7:30pm (CALS-Fribourgh, L)
Location
Centre = Centre at University Park, 6401 W 12th St., Little Rock, AR 72204
CALS-Fribourgh = Central Arkansas Library System Main Library, 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, Fribourgh Room
RM = Rivermarket, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, AR 72201, 2nd Floor (above David’s Burgers)
Certified Friendly Driver Teachers
All Friendly Driver Teachers are Arkansas licensed drivers, trained in the League of American Bicyclist (LAB) SMART Cycling class, are LAB League Certified Instructors,and have reviewed Arkansas/Little Rock pedestrian laws, infrastructure, and safety incidents. They are all also instrumental in developing the City of Little Rock Friendly Driver Program.
S = Stacy Tierney
E = Edward Casey
L = Lindsey Clark
N = Nathan Keltch
J = John Landosky
Registration
While classes are free to take, you MUST register to take a class. Register using the button below. If you have any trouble registering, email [email protected] with your preferred date and time. Due to popular demand, we are currently scheduling new classes as well! This page will be updated with new class times/dates as they become available.
Register
We would love to bring this program to YOU, for FREE. Organizations and businesses with several participants can also work with the city to schedule a Friendly Driver course at at time, date, and location that works best for you. Especially for businesses with fleet drivers, this can help keep safety records high and employee absenteeism and insurance rates low. The city will also promote your business or organization as having participated in the City of Little Rock Friendly Driver Program.
Contact John Landosky ([email protected]) to arrange a time and date to host a Friendly Driver course at your business or organization.
Have you taken the course, or are planning on taking the course, and are excited about its impact and want to do more to promote it? Talk to your friends, family, colleagues and network about the Friendly Driver Program and encourage them to attend. Share this Facebook promotion or this webpage on social media along with your personal testimonial. Print, post, and distribute this flyer. Together we can make Little Rock streets safer for everyone.
The Friendly Driver Program was developed through an AARP Community Challenge Grant. Ongoing costs have been supported by a National Safety Council’s Road to Zero grant administered through a collaboration between America Walks and the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.
Thank you to these agencies for making the Friendly Driver Program possible!
©2021 City of Little Rock. All Rights Reserved.
