Initial data from the National Safety Council (NSC) suggest that more than 40,000 Americans died on the country's roads in 2016 for the first time in a decade.
"A total of 40,200 people died on U.S. roads in 2016, the highest level in almost a decade, according to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC)," reports Melanie Zanona.
"The number of traffic fatalities last year represents a 6 percent increase over 2015 and a 14 percent increase over 2014 — the sharpest two-year escalation in more than 50 years, the safety group said."
The NSC data for 2016 aren't the official federal figures, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already released data for the first three quarters of 2016 that showed an 8 percent increase, so any possible discrepancy is still likely to trend toward a spike in traffic fatalities.
The National Safety Council released a statement along with the data. NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman offered a blunt assessment of the news. In her own words: "Our complacency is killing us. Americans believe there is nothing we can do to stop crashes from happening, but that isn't true....The U.S. lags the rest of the developed world in addressing highway fatalities. We know what needs to be done; we just haven't done it."
Read the full story: Traffic deaths reach highest level in nearly a decade
Report: Racial Gap in Traffic Deaths Persists
Communities of color have significantly higher rates of traffic fatalities, according to federal research.
Acceptable Deaths
What can we learn from our Covid response?
New York City Traffic Fatalities Pass 2019 Totals
The visions of a car-free utopia that might have seemed like a potential silver lining in March and April have given away to a tragic reality.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Mamdani sent nearly 6,000 pied-à-terre tax warnings to homes that didn’t qualify
A judge has ordered the administration to cancel thousands of pied-à-terre tax notices after it sent 35% of them erroneously.
25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits
The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.
Newsom vetoes giving CA tribes greater voice in water projects
In his veto letter, Newsom said the bill would add ‘uncertainty’ to the state’s fight to secure Californians’ water supplies.
Michigan Senate votes to revise 'lax' dam safety laws
A Bridge Michigan investigation found more than 100,000 Michigan residents live in the floodpath of a high or significant-hazard dam.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello