Why Not Hold Traffic Safety to the Same Standards as Transit?

Many transportation modes, such as trains and airplanes, have robust, system-wide response mechanisms to investigate safety concerns when incidents occur. Why is traffic safety still seen largely as an individual responsibility?

2 minute read

July 6, 2022, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


25mph speed limit sign with blurred street with car and palm trees in background

A pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph has a 70 percent chance of survival. At 31 mph, that number falls to less than 20 percent. | Andrey Bayda / Speed limit sign.

Noting the stringent safety standards that transit agencies like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) must meet to continue operations, Caitlin Rogger, writing in Greater Greater Washington, poses a question: “Why do authorities treat traffic safety as though it’s less important than transit safety?” After all, “traffic violence causes many more deaths and injuries than public transit: one in a hundred of us will die from it in our lifetimes.”

After a derailment in October 2021, WMATA was directed to pull half of its trains out of service while the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) investigated issues at the agency. Injury-causing incidents on transportation modes like trains or airplanes trigger immediate regulatory responses to investigate what went wrong and ensure future safety. “Reactive measures usually include some combination of grounding or pulling the mode of transportation out of service, plus a full-fledged investigation into how the system failed to avoid a casualty or near-casualty event, such as the 7000-series derailment in October.”

“But many, many more people die and are hurt every year by personal vehicles than they are by transit or airplanes,” Rogger points out, yet “our legal system and the media both apply a much lower standard of safety when it comes to vehicular violence.” Rogger continues, “Transportation departments don’t routinely shut down the site of a car crash until we fix a design issue that led to it, even when it happens more than once,” and “Authorities don’t often recall all the cars fitting a make or model when it’s involved in repeated crashes (it does happen sometimes if there’s a demonstrable flaw–but what if the issue is not a bug but a feature?).”

Rogger outlines her hypotheses for why traffic safety is often perceived as an individual responsibility rather than a systemic problem, as well as signs of a healthier approach: locally, cities can improve safety by lowering speed limits, pedestrianizing streets, and prioritizing infrastructure for walking, biking, and public transit; meanwhile, the federal government could impose higher taxes on the most dangerous vehicles, create clearer federal safety standards, and encourage safe systems approaches to road design. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2022 in Greater Greater Washington

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight