Road Safety

Wildlife Crossings as Key Infrastructure
Animal-vehicle collisions cause billions in property damage, hundreds of human deaths, and dramatic losses in animal populations every year. Monitoring migration and building for animals can make roads safer for everyone.

What Is a Woonerf?
The woonerf, a type of road design that encourages multimodal transportation and blends pedestrian and vehicle space, was born as a reaction to the car-centric development that began dominating American and European city planning in the mid-twentieth century.

NACTO Fights Autonomous Vehicle Safety Exemptions
Two major automakers have petitioned for the right to test thousands of vehicles without major safety features such as brake pedals and steering wheels.

Will Autonomous Cars Live Up to Their Potential?
A new report details the promise and perils of the growing autonomous vehicle industry.

Ann Arbor Delays Right Turn on Red Ban, Citing Equity Concerns
The city council wants more information on how a ban on right turns on red would affect the city’s hourly workers and the details of its implementation.

Opinion: Traffic Calming Shouldn’t Be Optional
Road infrastructure that fails to make dangerous driving behavior feel risky to drivers is ineffective in protecting pedestrians and people on bikes.

A Legal Perspective on Transportation Safety
Legal scholars are showing how the federal government frustrates pedestrian safety.

El Paso Launches Vision Zero Planning
The El Paso City Council approved a resolution to move forward with Vision Zero planning and initiatives in an effort to eliminate traffic deaths on some of the nation’s most dangerous streets.

The Role of Segregation in Traffic Deaths
Research from Chicago suggests that the city’s traffic calming infrastructure is concentrated in the most affluent neighborhoods, contributing to higher rates of road deaths in lower-income neighborhoods.

Is ‘Protected Bike Lane’ an Oxymoron?
Some research suggests that separated and even ‘protected’ bike lanes actually increase the likelihood of car-bike collisions.

What Is Traffic Calming?
Traffic calming is a set of design interventions aimed at slowing or diverting car traffic to reduce the chance of crashes and improve safety for all road users.

Houston Bike Advocates Propose Two Bridges Across White Oak Bayou
An as-yet-unfunded proposal to build two new bridges would create essential connections and help riders avoid a mile-plus detour.

How Communities Can Leverage Federal Vision Zero Funding To Make Streets Safer
Two safe streets advocates give their recommendations for how to effectively use the $1 billion in annual funding available through a federal grant program.

Louisiana Road Safety Plan Highlights Impaired Driving, Reckless Behavior
The plan focuses traffic safety efforts on distracted and impaired driving, seatbelt wearing, and speeding, with a small nod to infrastructural factors.

Caltrans Releases Complete Streets Action Plan
The agency’s detailed list of actions highlights the many changes needed to truly implement Complete Streets principles into California road construction and maintenance.

Montgomery County Planners Present Pedestrian Safety Proposals
The auto-centric county has been building new bike trails and pedestrian facilities, but more improvements are necessary to reduce the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries, planners say.

Dangerous By Design: 2022 Report Analyzes Rising Pedestrian Deaths
The report ranks the most dangerous states and metro areas for pedestrians, who died at higher rates during the pandemic despite reduced driving.

Kansas City Pedestrian Deaths Surpassing Last Year’s Rates
The city has taken some steps to address gaps in pedestrian infrastructure, but fatalities are growing as the most disadvantaged communities continue to lack safe walking conditions.

States Diverting Federal Road Safety Funds
Despite a nationwide rise in traffic fatalities, almost half of U.S. states have transferred federal road safety dollars to other projects.

Seattle Traffic Deaths Rose Again in 2022
Despite a commitment to eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, 2022 is shaping up to be the deadliest year in more than a decade.
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