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March 1, 2017

The Road to Safety

Latest posts by Atlantic Research Team (see all)
road

This holiday season, millions of Americans will take to the roads. Fortunately, the nation has made amazing progress over the past few decades to make those roads safer. The rate for people killed per mile driven has steadily dropped for years, according to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Not only are the cars themselves safer, but drivers are better educated, and streets and highways are becoming better designed or adapted to keep everyone on them (not just drivers) safe.

However, despite these positive trends over time, traffic fatalities in the last year havespiked alarmingly. In the first half of 2016 alone, driving fatalities increased by 9 percent.

What is the reason for this massive increase? It is hard to pinpoint a specific cause except for the overall rise in driving that has come along with a growing economy and growing population. Indeed, the connection between the economy, driving and road fatalities is logical and well documented. Other potential reasons include urban sprawl, the growing number of elderly drivers, driving while on drugs and distracted driving.

Until we know the cause of this crisis, it will be hard to develop solutions. One thing seems to be certain: We are not going to be able to simply build our way to safety. Investments in infrastructure need to be targeted and strategic, focused more on pinch points and areas of recurring congestion or accidents, rather than indiscriminate building with safety as a hopeful byproduct.

One way to be more strategic is through the use of appropriate technology. Distracted driving is a national problem due, in part, to the fact that drivers have mobile devices with them at all times. Other innovations are treated as a means to greater mobility enabling people to travel farther, faster, with more ease. And that’s the rub. As a nation we need to shift the focus from just moving people and goods faster, and make safety a top priority. Safety should not an afterthought. It is an end goal.

 We also need to make sure that disadvantaged communities do not suffer disproportionately. Many low-income communities lack sufficient pedestrian, bicycling and public transit opportunities, potentially making the roads a greater threat. Rural populations have excessively high injury mortality rates, where much of this increase is related to motor vehicle crashes.

Fortunately, the push for safer roads is getting stronger.

Read More at USNews.com

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