Traffic Fatalities

Pedestrians and Cars

Despite Reports, Federal Safety Officials Didn't Act on Danger of SUVs to Pedestrians

A 2015 NHTSA report showed that pedestrians were multiple times more likely to die if struck by SUVs, but that information was neither shared nor acted upon.

July 20, 2018 - The Detroit Free Press

Ghost Bike

Vision Zero, Bad Faith

It seems like Vision Zero never had a chance.

July 13, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Ontario Street

A Famous Former Planning Director and the 'War on Cars'

Former Toronto Planning Director Jennifer Keesmaat is responding to rising pedestrian and bike fatalities in the "Vision Zero" city with a series of calls for action.

June 19, 2018 - The Toronto Star

Ghost Bike

Two Strategies for Achieving Vision Zero

To end traffic fatalities while still enabling urban mobility, cars will have to slow down and people will have to travel by other modes.

May 22, 2018 - Medium

Pedestrians

Insurance Institute: Pedestrian Fatalities Jump 46 Percent from 2009

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study on May 8 that attributes the increased number of pedestrians killed in part to road design that allows for higher speeds, fewer intersections and pedestrian crossings and more SUVs.

May 9, 2018 - The Washington Post

Crash

Hit-and-Run Traffic Fatalities Reach Record High

Over 2,000 people died from hit-and-run collisions on American roads in 2016, the highest since 2009, claiming a disproportionate amount of pedestrian and cyclist lives. One solution: more protected bike lanes.

April 30, 2018 - CBS This Morning

Telegraph Avenue

How the U.S. Could End Traffic Fatalities by 2050

Taking Vision Zero beyond the local level.

April 26, 2018 - Curbed

Daytona

After 34 Years of Complete Streets, Florida Still Deadly for Pedestrians

Florida’s incremental steps toward complete streets have saved thousands of lives, but still left it one of the most dangerous states to walk in.

April 19, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

The Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicle Testing

Autonomous vehicles hold the potential to greatly reduce auto crashes. Advocates want them on the road as early as possible to reduce fatalities. Skeptics worry that the public will be guinea pigs during the testing—case in point: Elaine Herzberg.

April 9, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Uber Autonomous Vehicle

Failure of Automated Driving Technology Blamed for First Pedestrian Fatality

Experts who watched the videos taken by onboard cameras equipped in the Volvo SUV that hit Elaine Herzberg determined that Uber's automated driving system failed to perform adequately. The crash points to a need for regulations.

March 25, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Governors' Report: No Improvement in Pedestrian Fatality Rate Last Year

Elaine Herzberg's death by autonomous vehicle on March 18 in Tempe was a "first," but what of the 224 pedestrians that died last year in Arizona, the nation's most dangerous state for pedestrians according to a 50-state report released Feb. 28?

March 24, 2018 - Governors Highway Safety Association

Tempe Police Chief: Uber AV vs. Pedestrian Crash May Have Been Unavoidable

After viewing the videos taken by two cameras equipped in the Uber autonomous vehicle that fatally struck 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg on Sunday, the chief concluded the crash was difficult to avoid. Also, lessons on the crash from David Leonhardt.

March 21, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

California's Aging Population Getting Into More Traffic Collisions

New data from transportation research group TRIP, shows that fatalities involving at least one driver over 65 years old are up 22% in California.

March 19, 2018 - SCPR

Roundabout

USDOT and Waze Partner to Predict Fatal Crashes

USDOT hopes to put decades of data collection to new use preventing fatal collisions by predicting when they might occur.

February 5, 2018 - Eno Transportation Weekly

Slow Turn Box

U.S. Traffic More Dangerous Than Other Developed Nations

Around the world, car crashes are the tenth leading cause of death, and while the United States is spending money on transportation, that money isn't making the roads safer.

January 17, 2018 - Curbed

One Way Sign

Vision Zero in Name Only

Many cities say they've adopted Vision Zero, but the numbers show they aren't actually getting any safer.

January 2, 2018 - Streetsblog USA

Queens Boulevard

A Vision Zero Success Story in New York

The 300-foot wide Queens Boulevard has been known as the Boulevard of Death. Since 1990, it has claimed 186 lives, 74 percent being pedestrians, including 18 in 1997 alone. A series of safety improvements have brought fatalities to zero since 2014.

December 6, 2017 - The New York Times

Ambulance

How the U.S. Compares to Other Nations in Road Safety

It's not just death from gun violence where the U.S. is an outlier. The New York Times compiled traffic fatality data showing that other developed nations have greatly lower traffic death rates, which wasn't historically the case.

November 27, 2017 - The New York Times

Text and Drive

Dearth of Data Masks Scale of Distracted Driving Fatalities

Bloomberg links the uptick in traffic fatalities throughout the United States to rising smartphone use while driving.

October 24, 2017 - Bloomberg

How's My Driving

Friday Funny: Crass Bumper Sticker Finally Coughs Up its Traffic Data

You know the bumper sticker. It's the one that begins with the words "How's My Driving?" and ends with a 1-800 number.

October 20, 2017 - The Onion

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.

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