As plans get underway to repair, rebuild and reopen a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia after it collapsed in flames on Sunday when a tanker truck slammed into a wall, we find ourselves once again thinking about our roads.
Whether it is infrastructure or pedestrian safety, roads are vital to a nation’s life. And too many of us are dying on American roads.
I think about a seasoned U.S. diplomat in the prime of her life who returned from Afghanistan for a break last summer. Having endured deadly conflict overseas, she was hit and killed while riding her bicycle in suburban Maryland.
All around our country there are similar stories of pedestrian deaths. On any given day, you can find headlines from East to West.
Brooklyn, New York: “Out-of-control teen Tesla driver fatally strikes man, 76, tries to flee, cops say”
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: “Coroner’s office asks for public’s help in identifying pedestrian killed in Myrtle Beach area”
Albuquerque, New Mexico: “Pedestrian struck, killed on I-25 near Jefferson”
Los Angeles, California: “Pedestrian killed on freeway near East LA”
In Massachusetts, a recent study found that more than 30 percent more pedestrians died in 2022 than in 2021.
According to the Department of Transportation, 42,795 people were killed last year on American roads; pedestrian deaths went up 54 percent nationwide in the past decade. In 2021, 7,388 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes. In 2022, 19 pedestrians a day, on average, were struck and killed by a car — slightly better than the year before but still defined as a “crisis.”
When a country as powerful as the United States fails on basic safety, we are a danger to ourselves and those who visit us.
So why is the United States plagued by so many pedestrian deaths when other similarly developed countries around the world have been steadily reducing road deaths and injuries among pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and motorcyclists for decades?
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in 2021 United Kingdom residents were five times less likely to die in a traffic crash than U.S. residents. Per capita, residents of Canada, Australia and France were about three times less likely to die on roadways than U.S. residents.
Data from other countries show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, fatalities from cars hitting people fell in most countries, due to remote work and schooling. But in the United States, while travel declined, deaths from road fatalities increased in 2021. According to federal data, the number of traffic fatalities in 2021 reached a 16-year high.
Causes range from stress levels to road rage, distracted driving and drunk driving, and the purchase of large vehicles capable of doing more damage. Some blame truck volume.
Are there strategies that the United States can learn from other nations?
The best ways to bring America into alignment with other countries on safety include regulation, education and awareness about things like drunk driving and distracted driving. Even vehicle choice can make a difference. (Large cars, mini vans and pickup trucks do the most damage to a pedestrian by the sheer volume of force.) And, of course, speed is a factor.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to require that all new passenger cars and light trucks to include automatic emergency brakes that can prevent passenger and pedestrian deaths. Until now, those features have been voluntary. The regulation proposed by NHTSA will require, for example, that the systems allow vehicles to fully avoid other vehicles at up to 50 miles per hour if a driver should fail to react.
Urban planning is critical to creating safe cities.
While public streets in the U.S. serve primarily or even exclusively private motor vehicle traffic, they increasingly must accommodate walkers, public transport and cyclists, especially given concerns about pollution and climate change. Many safety experts encourage wider streets, bike lanes and crossing islands with a light in the middle.
Speed is often a factor in pedestrian deaths. According to a Northeastern study, “if the traffic speed is more than 27 miles an hour, cars just won’t stop” for pedestrians trying to cross the street.
Speed bumps, signs, warnings and speed cameras can signal drivers to slow down, especially in school or work zones. But not all U.S. states allow them to be used. In Los Angeles in 2021 and 2022, state legislators killed bills that would have overridden the state ban on automated speed enforcement. Additionally, many see red-light and speed cameras as surveillance by government and an infringement on privacy. The countries with the greatest number of speed cameras include Russia and China. In Europe, technology is allowing individual drivers to download radar detection apps that monitor a driver’s speed against posted limits.
As summer unfolds and more people hit the roads, particularly on weekends and holidays, America’s pedestrians face growing dangers. We must be a safe country, not only as a model nation, but for the good of our own citizens.
Tara D. Sonenshine is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice in U.S. public diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.