By Leslie Vasquez
Road deaths are declining around the world, even as more than 1 billion additional vehicles have been added since 2011. The U.S., however, is not following this trend, highlighting shortcomings in how we measure and approach road safety. Other countries are taking different strategies, and those that have produced systemic changes in how vehicles, roads, and land use are designed are seeing better results.
According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), global road deaths fell 21% between 2011 and 2025. While this progress is encouraging, 1.16 million people still died in road crashes in 2025, and progress varies considerably by region. Road deaths fell by 36% in the European region and 15% in the Western Pacific region, while the Americas saw no notable change.
The U.S. stands out among high-income nations for its lack of progress in an already high roadway death toll. In 2024, 39,254 people were killed in traffic crashes, with a roadway fatality of 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people which is more than twice Canada’s rate. The disparity cannot simply be explained by unique risks Americans face. Drivers in other countries also contend with distracted driving, impaired driving, and other dangerous behaviors. What differs is how countries choose to respond to those risks.
In the U.S., transportation policy has historically placed a stronger emphasis on moving vehicles quickly. Roadway design practices have routinely favored faster speeds and wider lanes, while development patterns such as zoning restrictions and parking minimums have often made driving the easiest way to get around. These choices have made it harder to create streets that are safer for everyone, including people walking and biking.
Other safer countries are taking a different approach. The Netherlands, one of the safest countries in the world for road users, puts low importance on fast car travel. Instead, its transportation system emphasizes accessibility, sustainability, and safety through slower speeds, protective infrastructure, and prioritizing modes other than driving.
The vehicles on U.S. roads have also changed. Cars have grown substantially larger, with SUVs and pickup trucks now making up more than four out of every five new vehicles sold. This trend is not simply a matter of personal preference. As mentioned in a previous blog, federal policies, such as more lenient fuel-economy standards for light trucks have encouraged this shift while failing to account for the risks these larger vehicles pose to those outside of them.
Other countries have made different policy choices that shape both the size of vehicles and the risks they pose. European countries generally impose higher taxes on gasoline and diesel creating greater incentives for consumers to choose smaller vehicles and limit their use. The European Union has adopted vehicle standards that address protections to both the occupant and those outside the vehicle. New vehicles must be designed to improve the survivability of those outside the vehicle, emphasizing protections to people’s heads and legs. They are also required to include technology that alerts drivers when they exceed the speed limit and automated emergency braking that warns drivers of sudden crash risk and applies brakes if the driver fails to react in time.
If we ever want to reverse this alarming trend, we must rethink how we measure and respond to road safety. That means not only investing in safer roads and vehicles but also measuring safety in ways that accurately reflect the human cost of traffic crashes by measuring fatalities per capita like most high-income countries do. As Smart Growth America noted in Dangerous by Design 2026, “Though the federal government and transportation agencies at every level claim safety is their top priority, this hasn’t produced sufficient change in how roads are designed, how transportation dollars are spent, and how success is measured.”
Photo credit: Bruno Guerrero via Unsplash. License.