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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

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.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Aerial view of Albuquerque, New Mexico at sunset.

New State Study Suggests Homelessness Far Undercounted in New Mexico

An analysis of hospital visit records provided a more accurate count than the annual point-in-time count used by most agencies.

May 16 - Source NM

Close-up on white bike helmet lying on pavement with blurred red bike on its side in background abd black car visible behind it.

Michigan Bills Would Stiffen Penalties for Deadly Crashes

Proposed state legislation would close a ‘legal gap’ that lets drivers who kill get away with few repercussions.

May 16 - Wood TV 8

Muni bus on red painted bus-only lane in downtown San Francisco, California.

Report: Bus Ridership Back to 86 Percent of Pre-Covid Levels

Transit ridership around the country was up by 85 percent in all modes in 2024.

May 16 - Mass Transit