Traffic Fatalities

Police

Research: Traffic Stops Don't Stop Traffic Deaths

A comprehensive study using data from 33 states shows no significant correlation between police stops and reduced crash rates.

July 22, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Adams Morgan pedestrian zone during COVID-19 pandemic

The Most Complete Map of U.S. Pedestrian Risk Yet

New research published by the Journal of Transport and Land Use analyzes tens of thousands of pedestrian fatalities over 16 years in the United States.

July 20, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Radar Speed Sign

Virginia to Launch Innovative New Anti-Speeding Pilot Program

The state of Virginia's new traffic safety program will focus on speeding as fatal factor in automobile collisions and could eventually provide a model for similar programs around the country.

July 20, 2021 - The Virginia Mercury

Bikes on Marcy Ave, new York

Opinion: Only Slower Traffic Reduces Traffic Deaths

A package of bills in the New York legislature seeks to increase licensing and safety requirements for bikes, e-bikes, and scooters. But research shows speeding and impaired driving are still the top killers of pedestrians and cyclists.

June 24, 2021 - Curbed

Traffic Fatality Demographics

U.S. Traffic Fatalities Increased Most for Black Americans During the Pandemic

Two new reports confirm the racial disparities of traffic violence in the United States, revealing more proof about who stayed home during the pandemic, and who was forced to navigate the risks of the pandemic in public.

June 22, 2021 - CNN Business

NYC-crosswalk

Why Pedestrian Deaths Are Rising

Jarrett Walker offers insights into "Right of Way," a book written last year by Angie Schmitt that is influencing the traffic safety conversation and pushing the fields of planning and engineering in new directions.

June 21, 2021 - Human Transit

Climate Change

As Trucks Grow in Size, So Do the Safety Risks

Consumer Reports might be a surprising media outlet for an expose on the dangers of large personal vehicles—the kinds of trucks and SUVs growing in popularity and filling up U.S. roads.

June 14, 2021 - Consumer Reports

Street Traffic

Latest Traffic Safety Data Adds Grim Death Count to an Already Tragic Year

The public health epidemic created by dangerous roads, dangerous cars, and dangerous drivers was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

June 8, 2021 - Curbed

Sports Utility Vehicle

For Transportation Justice, Auto Safety Must Protect People Outside the Car

Light trucks are killing more pedestrians than ever while keeping their drivers and passengers safer. Is it time to reframe safety regulations?

June 3, 2021 - Treehugger

Traffic Safety

Automated Traffic Enforcement Struggles to Find Footing in California State Legislature

If Texas lawmakers hate it, California lawmakers must love it, right? Not so fast.

May 10, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Street Construction

Rebuilding From the Failures of Vision Zero

Vision Zero pledges in New York City and Washington, D.C. have failed to slow the carnage on streets and roads—traffic fatalities are only increasing. It's time to start over.

May 5, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

Woonerf Sign

Opinion: Put Pedestrians First—End Jaywalking Laws

To reduce pedestrian deaths, we must restore their rights as primary street users, argues a former NYC traffic commissioner.

April 8, 2021 - New York Daily News

Washington Street Road DIet

No Traffic Deaths for Three Years: The Story of Hoboken's Vision Zero Success

Hoboken has spent the past several years investing in new bike infrastructure, and traffic collisions of all kinds have since decreased.

April 8, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

Share the Road

Opinion: U.S. Traffic Deaths are a Regulatory Failure

One writer argues that rules that prioritize driver safety and ignore pedestrian infrastructure have led to a sharp increase in fatalities on U.S. roads.

April 6, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Pedestrians

2020 Could Set Records for Pedestrian Fatality Rates

The novel coronavirus wasn't the only public health risk spreading around the United States in 2020.

March 25, 2021 - Governors Highway Safety Association

Bike Lane

A Year of Cycling Deaths on American Roads

Arterial roads and poorly designed intersections pose significant threats to cyclist and pedestrian safety.

February 8, 2021 - Outside Online

Street Traffic

Despite Stay-at-Home Orders, U.S. Traffic Deaths Rose in 2020

Dangerous behaviors picked up during the early, low-traffic days of the pandemic are partly to blame.

February 2, 2021 - The Washington Post

COVID-19 Mobility

The Pandemic's Traffic Safety Crisis, Explained

It's another one of those crises within a crisis, but driving has been more dangerous during the pandemic.

January 5, 2021 - The New York Times

Pedestrians

2019 Crash Fatality Data Reveals Relative Calm Before the Storm

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's latest crash fatality data for 2019 showed improving safety conditions for road users from the year prior. That progress is likely to vanish when the data for 2020 are complete.

December 22, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Traffic Safety

Vision Zero Action Plan Launched in Houston

In Houston, 60 percent of serious automobile crashes occur on 6 percent of the city's streets. A New Vision Zero Action Plan will focus safety improvements on those streets with a high density of traffic deaths and serious injuries.

December 21, 2020 - City of Houston Mayor's Office

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.