U.S. Street Security Lags Behind Different Nations As a result of It is A Advanced Drawback To Resolve

A brand new report highlights the quite a few components which have the USA lagging behind most different developed international locations in terms of highway security. It says that amongst many components, highway design, automotive design, and Individuals’ attitudes towards the highway itself contribute to the issue. Fixing the problem would require quite a few adjustments throughout the nation.

In a deep dive into visitors fatalities, the New York Occasions says that out of 31 developed international locations, the USA is certainly one of solely three to have a rise in deaths throughout 2020 in comparison with their common between 2017 and 2019. In reality, whereas the USA noticed a 5 p.c enhance within the examine, most nations noticed decreases of 10 p.c or extra throughout the identical time interval. A handful noticed drops of greater than 25 p.c.

To anybody paying consideration, a gradual price of visitors fatalities received’t come as a shock. It was newsworthy when the NHTSA reported an estimated lower in complete fatalities per 100 million miles from 1.3 in 2021 to 1.27 this yr. “Motor autos are first, highways are first, and all the pieces else is an afterthought,” mentioned Jennifer Homendy, chair of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board to the New York Occasions.

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That appears to sum up the biggest a part of the issue. Yonah Freemark, a researcher on the City Institute drew a comparability to focus on the problem additional. “Different international locations began to take critically pedestrian and bicycle owner accidents within the 2000s — and began making {that a} precedence in each automobile design and avenue design — in a manner that has by no means been dedicated to in america,” he mentioned.

With such large and car-focused roads, dashing feels extra comfy and protected. Actually, the record-setting Cannonball run of a white Audi going from New York to Los Angeles in simply 26 hours and 38 minutes gives some anecdotal proof to that time. On high of points with highway design, automobiles, whereas safer for occupants, aren’t all the time optimized for the protection of these exterior of the automobile.

As well as, the pandemic led to much more susceptible highway customers like pedestrians and cyclists. Whereas some thought that there could be energy in numbers, the statistics don’t bear that out. Polly Trottenberg, New York Metropolis’s former transportation commissioner put the answer this fashion “We have to change the tradition that accepts this stage of loss of life and damage.”

That tradition shift would require totally different pondering behind the wheel, totally different infrastructure, higher automobile design, and extra. One factor not talked about within the report was the vastly totally different ranges of driver coaching that totally different international locations have. That definitely performs a component in security right here within the States as properly.