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.
Federal numbers understate danger to walkers and bikers
Every year, resources are poured into counting and preventing pedestrian deaths. But because parking lots and driveways are classified as private property, fatal crashes involving people walking in these spaces are excluded from the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System. In 2021, that amounted to hundreds of people who died in off-street crashes. To state and local DOTs, the message is that these deaths don’t count toward the metrics that drive funding, planning, or design priorities, so the crashes themselves don’t need to be a priority either. The result is a system that is blind to about one in eight pedestrian deaths.
North Carolina’s new parking law could reshape its transportation landscape
Under a new law in North Carolina, most cities and towns will not be allowed to set minimum parking requirements for new developments or changes in building use. This change comes amid a growing recognition that burdensome parking mandates worsen traffic, drive up development costs, and sometimes stifle development altogether. This shift opens the door for transportation agencies to harness parking management as a valuable tool for taming traffic and improving transportation options.
Bigger isn’t always better: The hidden costs of larger vehicles
Vehicles in the U.S. have gotten much larger over the past few decades, and research suggests that this shift has had far-reaching consequences, making roads more dangerous for everyone while increasing emissions and other environmental impacts. A recent New York Times analysis estimates that between 200 and 400 pedestrian deaths each year could have been avoided if cars had remained roughly the same size as they were 25 years ago. While the rise of SUVs and pickup trucks is often treated as the result of a cultural shift or consumer preference, researchers argue that policy has also helped shape today’s vehicle market. If policy helped encourage this shift, it could also help reverse it.
Transit projects don’t have to cost this much
Fires and electrical problems at Penn Station ahead of World Cup matches have contributed to a global spotlight shining on America’s lackluster transit systems this summer. The price tag for an upgrade at Penn Station? Seven billion dollars—larger than Arkansas’s entire annual budget. The United States has some of the highest costs to build transit in the world, but smart reforms and investment in public capacity could bring some of those vertigo-inducing price tags back down to earth.
Curbing our car enthusiasm: Streets designed for people
When we design streets primarily for people – recognizing instincts like how long someone will wait for a walk signal or where they’ll stand before crossing – small, affordable changes can make behavior more predictable and streets demonstrably safer for everyone. By shifting the focus away from cars and toward human-centered design, such as clear sightlines, comfortable waiting spaces, and safer crossing opportunities, we remove the need for people to dangerously negotiate vehicle-dominated systems to stay safe.
Transportation disrupted: Rethinking how we pay for it
In an earlier installment of this blog series, we explored the mounting transportation costs that Americans face, which are now exacerbated by rising gas prices. Efforts to provide relief through gas tax holidays—first in certain states, then nationally—show just how fragile our system is. These temporary measures offer minimal relief while undermining the very foundation of our transportation funding.
‘Just one more lane’ still emphasized in transportation engineering textbooks
Modern state DOTs and their engineers are grappling with a different set of challenges than they did in the 20th century. Some are shifting to managing travel demand and limiting vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) to make their systems operate more efficiently. But engineering education programs may not be properly preparing engineers for these new challenges, sometimes leaving them to learn on the job in environments that can be mired in old ways of thinking.
People cross the street where it makes sense
A new study out of Milwaukee highlights a major blind spot in how we approach safety for people on foot. People don’t only cross at intersections; midblock crossings are more common than transportation agencies typically measure and plan for. About one in six crossings in the study happened midblock, sometimes more often than at intersections themselves. This behavior is predictable, widespread, and largely missing in how we design our streets.
Transportation disrupted: Building a more resilient system
Recent spikes in gas prices expose a fragile system that financially strains car-dependent households. When prices rise, however, people adapt in surprising ways, especially when they have reliable options. Transportation leaders can seize this moment to take steps toward reducing car dependency and building systems that are resilient by providing more affordable travel choices before the next disruption occurs or if the current trends continue.