It’s worth noting that in most other rich countries, pedestrian deaths have been falling. And before anyone says something stupid about how America is uniquely big or new, even Canada has 60% fewer traffic fatalities.
this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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Since this isn't Reddit I find the likelihood of some dumbass coming in trying to claim that America is somehow uniquely exceptional is pretty low. Though I would grant that America's exceptionally awful...
Alas, I’ve read tons of comments, even on this community, about how the US is “too big” for trains or walkable cities to work. I think the car-centric mindset cuts across the political spectrum — or put another way, the topic hasn’t been fully politicized yet.
Stupid car centric city designs + stupid oversized SUVs = more pedestrian deaths
The fact that the Cybertruck is allowed on the roads in the us is all you need to know about why pedestrians are dying
It's not just car-centric Euclidean zoning and suburban sprawl.
The US also builds really dangerous stroads that you don't really see in most other countries.
5+ lanes of 55mph traffic next to a sidewalk and tons of driveways for businesses is inherently unsafe.
It's also interesting to note that the biggest spike in fatalities was during the pandemic.
The best explanation I've heard is that bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic essentially disappeared with the switch to WFH during the pandemic. Streets artificially looked safer pre-pandemic due to drivers getting stuck in traffic at peak periods. The pandemic just revealed how inherently unsafe American stroads are.
This video here explains one of the issues one minute in as to why pedestrian deaths are rising. Definitely worth a watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh4H9qZ-_6Y&t=55
The way car companies are working around this legislation is why it's so hard to find and buy smaller sized cars even if there is demand (think smart car size). It also makes our community's less safe for pedestrian traffic and less enjoyable to walk.
The way car companies are working around this legislation is why it’s so hard to find and buy smaller sized cars
Now show me how much larger the average vehicle got during that time as well.
...about 77%
In totally, completely, and in all ways unrelatedly: smartphones on the rise, gigantic pickups and suvs are on the rise, and tactile buttons you can hit without looking at a screen are on the decline.
and anecdotally it seems like since covid and not driving as much, everyone seems to have gotten worse at driving and still hasn't quite picked it back up yet.
just this morning some idiot didn't want to stop at a crosswalk in a 25mph downtown area....
the car that stopped going the other direction happened to be a cop car (who incidentally almost got rear-ended by some other idiot not paying attention).
as i stepped onto the curb on the other side of the road, i saw red and blue flashing behind me and heard them on their PA ordering the driver to pull over and stop at the next corner.
I feel like I've seen this exact scenario plenty of times except the red and blue flashing lights never come on - the cop just lets it go
ya, it was a first for me. cops around here often don't stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk until after a car runs 'em over.
So why is this? The answers so far seem unsatisfactory, since things like phones, SUVs and car-centric infrastructure are on the rise in other countries as well, without that staggering rise in deaths.
I spent about 3 minutes browsing the report linked in the article, and am rather less confident than before. For example, on pages 25 and 26 they look at the share of SUVs in deaths and sales. And while both figures are rising, the bodycount from non-SUVs has gone up as well.
The answer is probably not a single factor anyways. Can anyone make a more or less informed guess what might explain the US being so bad?
I live in Sweden but my girlfriend is from Seattle so I have visited there a couple of times. There are a few cultural differences that I think play a major part in why pedestrian deaths have gone up in America but not elsewhere.
As already mentioned in this thread Americans tend to be more relaxed about using their phones when driving. It didn't seem like a big deal to read a text message or anything.
Another thing is reflective clothing. Driving at night in Washington I saw nobody wearing anything reflective at all. Here in Sweden outside of city centers at night more often than not pedestrians will wear something reflective to actually be visible.
Lastly the drunk driving culture was very different. In Sweden people would hesitate to have a drink with lunch if they knew they had to drive later that day. In America we went to a brewery whilst waiting for the ferry.
how is it troubeling? a nation that is about to vote trump is troubled by more dead pedestrians? LOL.
also it is still an exotic death...arent you more likely to be shot in school?
america is in self-purge mood because of its identity crisis.
the machines require blood
every culture engages in human sacrifice
It could be way more consensual
Other discussion pointed out this is when smartphones came out.
Also coincides with the rise of crossovers and pickups.