US Traffic Safety Is Getting Worse, While Other Countries Improve

[marmar]

US Traffic Safety Is Getting Worse, While Other Countries Improve
The rising rate of road deaths in the US continues to defy global trends. Here’s what traffic planners in other nations could teach their American counterparts.

By David Zipper
November 3, 2022 at 9:00 AM EDT


(Bloomberg CityLab) A few months ago the United States Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unveiled Momentum, a new federal program created “to help countries around the world learn from our best practices in planning and modernizing transportation.”

It was a curious move for a country whose mobility network seems more likely to inspire pity than admiration when viewed from abroad. The US road transportation system is a climate bomb that generates more than twice as much carbon dioxide per capita as the roads of the European Union, thanks to the dominance of personal vehicles. American efforts to build cleaner alternatives such as high-speed rail — which is common across Japan, China, and many EU countries — have consumed billions of dollars with little to show for it.

The US underperformance in road safety is especially dramatical: 11.4 Americans per 100,000 died in crashes in 2020, a number that dwarfs countries including Spain (2.9), Israel (3.3) and New Zealand (6.3). And unlike most developed nations, US roadways have grown more deadly during the last two decades (including during the pandemic), especially for those outside of cars. Last year saw the most pedestrians killed in the US in 40 years, and deaths among those biking rose 44% from 2010 to 2020.

Instead of touting its own approaches, USDOT would be better off studying why other countries’ roads are so much safer and figure out how to apply those lessons at home. ................(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-11-03/why-us-traffic-safety-fell-so-far-behind-other-countries?srnd=premium

[hlthe2b]

1. Agressive, arrogant and distracted drivers--both MV crashes and pedestrian deaths.

There seems to be a general disdain for traffic laws too. As one who walks sidewalks pre-dawn along a well-lit four-lane boulevard--one with broad bike lanes, well-delineated speed limits, and stoplights with clear pedestrian crosswalks, I can attest to this. I can't tell you how many drivers simply speed up approaching red lights in the very early morning, ignoring the possibility of pedestrians IN lit crosswalks, if they don't see other motor vehicles coming their way. I wear all manner of flashing lights and reflective clothes, a flashing collar on my dog, AND a red/blue flashing strobe light gifted to me by a sheriff deputy neighbor. But, now I see why so many pedestrians jay-walk, even across four lanes. At least you can see what is coming and not be an absolute target if a driver decides to IGNORE the stoplights.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Huge vehicles block views of people crossing the street or on a bike, too.

Does road rage fit into this study? Many Americans in a hurry, driving aggressively, with a loaded gun under the seat, you hear about road rage every day.

[Chainfire]

3. We can't afford both high speed rail and billionaires.

In many areas, the good old USA is clawing its way to the bottom.

[Midnight Writer]

4. We have more traffic deaths than other countries for the same reasons we have more gun deaths.

1) Men who have been raised to believe aggressiveness is a manly virtue.

2) More cars (and guns) per person.

3) Cars (and guns) being a central part of many Americans' lives, leading to complacency towards common-sense safety rules.

4) Cultural depictions (often in advertising) of big, fast, powerful cars (guns) being the key to a happy life.