Traffic Fatalities

Street Traffic

Where's the Concern About Spiking Traffic Fatalities?

Traffic fatalities are increasing faster than any time since the 1960s, but it's hard to notice much concern from the United States.

October 16, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Downtown Denver

Denver Commits to Vision Zero

There have been 100 traffic-related deaths on Denver’s streets since 2016, according to the Denver Post, but the city has decided that there will be no more traffic-related deaths by the year 2030.

October 7, 2017 - The Denver Post

Crash

Study: Warm Weather Is a Factor in Increased Road Deaths

A downward trend in deaths from car crashes reversed sharply in 2015. Many blamed cell phones and the distractions they can cause, but a recent study complicates that hypothesis.

September 13, 2017 - Minneapolis Post

Ghost Bike

Op-Ed: 'Share the Road' PSAs Aren't Enough to End Bike Fatalities

An op-ed wonders when enough bike fatalities will be enough.

May 14, 2017 - The Orange County Register

Crash

DUIDs Surpass DUIs as Cause of Fatal Vehicle Crashes

2015 was the first year that driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) surpassed those killed while driving under the influence of alcohol. Increased legal access to marijuana is correlated with the surge. Amphetamine use is also a factor.

April 29, 2017 - The Washington Post

Ghost bike in New York

Mapped: The Ghost Bikes of Chicago

Ghost bikes, sad, silent tribute to those killed while riding bikes, are more controversial than seems possible. The Chicago Tribune has a map that endeavors to track their locations around the Chicago area.

February 18, 2017 - Chicago Tribune

Ambulance

Report: U.S. Traffic Fatalities Rise, Again

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.

February 15, 2017 - The Hill

Slow

Want Safer Streets? Then Slow Down

Making the case for reduced speed limits is a matter of life and death.

January 25, 2017 - Walk Arlington

Expect Passenger Vehicles to Talk to Each Other in the Near Future

The U.S. Department of Transportation wants light-duty vehicles to communicate with each other via advanced technology, known as connected vehicle technology, to prevent crashes. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) rule would be phased in over five years.

December 18, 2016 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Ghost bike in New York

One Year Later: No Progress Toward Vision Zero in D.C.

The death toll on the streets of Washington, D.C. are unchanged a year after the District launched its Vision Zero initiative.

December 8, 2016 - WAMU

Horrific School Bus Crash in Chattanooga Results In Five Counts of Vehicular Homicide

The driver has been arrested and charged with the deaths of five children who died at the scene of the one-vehicle crash in which the bus slammed into a tree on Monday afternoon. The National Transportation Safety Board is on the scene.

November 27, 2016 - WRCB tv

Freeway Interchange

U.S. DOT Adopts Vision Zero

"With this campaign, we’re making clear that zero is the only acceptable number of deaths on our roads."

October 6, 2016 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Washington D.C. Metro

Planetizen Week in Review: September 10, 2016

The fastest two minutes in planning news.

September 10, 2016 - Planetizen

A 'Call to Action' to Find Reasons for Increase in Traffic Fatalities

The U.S. Department of Transportation wants to hear from the public to help explain the 35,092 traffic deaths last year, an increase of 2,348 people from 2014. It has issued a 'call to action' to help interpret the data.

September 8, 2016 - Fast Lane (DOT blog)

How U.S Road Safety Compares to Other Countries

That is, not very well.

September 6, 2016 - The Economist

Traffic Deaths Take a Big Jump in 2016

A 9 percent increase in fatalities on the nation's highways compared to the same period in 2015 does not appear to be a result of increased driving, which jumped 3.3 percent during that period, but rather an increase in the rate of fatal crashes.

August 29, 2016 - National Safety Council

Red Light Camera

Red Light Cameras Receive Endorsement from Influential Governors' Group

Calling it 'mind boggling' that municipalities are removing 'proven safety tools,' the Governors Highway Safety Association strongly endorsed the use of the controversial red light cameras to 'to improve safety for all road users.'

August 2, 2016 - Governors Highway Safety Association

Crash

Study: Uber Doesn't Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities

The debate about the benefits of transportation network companies, like Uber, continues.

August 1, 2016 - NPR

Red Light Camera

Disabling Red Light Cameras Increases Traffic Fatalities

A new study shows what happens when cities remove red light cameras, which have become targeted by many motorists and eliminated by at least 158 cities. Fatal crashes increased 30 percent compared with area cities that kept the controversial cameras.

July 31, 2016 - CNBC

Self-Driving Car

Will First Fatality Affect the Development of Self-Driving Cars?

A May 7 crash of a Model S Tesla in Florida may have outsized implications for the future of driverless technology. The details of the single-fatality crash were made public in a June 30 blog by Tesla though they were reported immediately to NHTSA.

July 9, 2016 - Planetizen

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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