Traffic Safety

A new guidebook illustrates ways to create safer streets and more livable public spaces.

January 11, 2012 - Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

The National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation is voluntary - it is up to the states to enact them into law. The CA state senator responsible for the ban on talking on hand-held cell phones and texting called it a 'political nonstarter'.

December 14, 2011 - The New York Times - Business Day - Technology

The passage by the PA state senate of a bill allowing Pittsburgh and other cities to use red light traffic enforcement cameras has drawn a strong warning and a study from Penn Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) to only use them for safety purposes

October 30, 2011 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Brazil, Venezuela and Columbia have all hired a curious sort of police force to encourage pedestrians and drivers to follow the rules -- mimes, who hang out at busy intersections and make fun of bad behavior.

October 28, 2011 - Time

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 This being the decade anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks, it seems a good time to consider how our society responds to such threats, and what planners can do to maximize safety.

September 11, 2011 - Todd Litman

With one third the number of cars on the road as U.S., China has at least twice the fatality rate. Most vehicles are designed in the West, and driven a similar amount. Road conditions as well as driver and pedestrian error are blamed for crashes.

July 27, 2011 - The New York Times - Asia Pacific

Automobile travel imposes significant health risks. Traffic fatality rates, obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes, and total air pollution emissions tend to increase with per capita annual vehicle mileage.

July 25, 2011 - Todd Litman

A new study of federal data on fatalities per 100,000 people and per 100 million miles driven finds significant differences in urban and rural roads.

January 27, 2011 - USA Today

The more you drive, says a new study, the more you are at risk of getting in an accident. So if how much one pays for car insurance was linked to mileage, there would be a significant reduction in driving - and fender benders.

December 10, 2010 - Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance In Massachusetts: A Risk Assessment And Report On Consumer

The New Yorker takes an informal survey of the Lower East Side with slow-driving proponent Rod King.

November 29, 2010 - The New Yorker

The new initiative from the city's Department of Transportation and Police Department will target speeding and failure-to-yield violations, including rogue cyclists.

November 3, 2010 - Streetsblog

Grist digs deeper into the Virginia Speed Hump murder - showing how the street configuration of the suburban neighborhood may have contributed to the rage, and why it's unlikely to see more neighborhoods like it in the future.

September 20, 2010 - Grist

Planning decisions often have significant indirect effects. As planners, our challenge is to clearly describe these impacts and quantify them as much as possible so they can be incorporated into decision making. An example of this is the effect that transportation planning decisions have on human health. These impacts are significant but often overlooked or undervalued in the planning process. I have worked on several research projects that explore the nexus between transport planning decisions and public health, and are developing practical tools for incorporating them into planning. Let me share some of my current thinking about this issue.

September 6, 2010 - Todd Litman

A pedestrian in Park City, UT followed her downloaded Google map onto a four-lane road sans sidewalks. She was hit by a motorist before reaching the median. Lauren Rosenberg is seeking $100,000 in a federal lawsuit.

June 2, 2010 - The Guardian

A preliminary count of all road fatalities in 2009 shows a record low figure of 33,963; almost 9% lower than 2008. The final count is due this summer. While the declining VMT due to a depressed economy was a major factor, the rate declined as well.

March 28, 2010 - The New York Times - Wheels

It's yet another anecdotal reason for cyclists to bike well clear of the 'door zone' - and engineers and planners to ensure that cyclists have room to do so. Megan Charlop's bicycle ricocheted off a car door directly into the path of a city bus.

March 19, 2010 - Daily News

In this op-ed, CA state Senator Leland Yee (D-SF/San Mateo) discusses the result of his legislation to apply double traffic fines, as well as city street improvements, on two of the most dangerous roads in SF, 19th and Van Ness Aves.

January 25, 2010 - San Francisco Examiner

London is attempting to make streets safer for cyclists and motorists by turning off traffic lights in one part of the city for a short amount of time.

September 7, 2009 - The New York Times

A new report identifies ways to incorporate health objectives into transportation and land use planning.

July 27, 2009 - The Convergence Partnership

If you watched or read the news yesterday, then you likely came across the sentencing of Donte Stallworth. Previously known (maybe) for being an NFL role player, Stallworth will serve a 30 day sentence for hitting and killing a pedestrian named Mario Reyes while driving intoxicated here in Miami Beach. The typical sentence for such an offense in Florida is 4 to 15 years. Stallworth will be released just in time for his NFL training camp. How convenient. 

June 17, 2009 - Mike Lydon