Over the same period, such deaths declined in most other developed nations, according to United Nations data.
From the WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/the-deadly-1-5-mile-corridor-that-shows-the-fatal-flaw-in-americas-road-design-8f424579
Feel like this will not be a popular take here, but hear me out: I blame safety regs. Crash test standards ensconce drivers deep within a dense cage of beefy reinforced pillars and crumple zones, while “driver assists” make them complacent and disengaged. Modern people movers have worse visibility than an old farm truck and massive touchscreens you have to use to operate the windshield wipers. Peak car was like a quarter century ago, bring back the 1994 Honda Civic. The hatch specifically, that thing was dope. At least you’d notice if you hit someone in one of those
You do know that all the other countries have the same issues you just mentioned, and there, the numbers are going down rather than up.
Edit: I guess they’ve been going up in Europe after COVID as well.
I would attribute that delay at least in part to the “cash for clunkers” program, which took older vehicles off the road en masse in 2009 in the US specifically. Made number go up but life a little worse, like most things we do :(
e: in case the correlation isn’t clear (or you just don’t feel like clicking), the program offered government subsidized and highly inflated trade in values for vehicles over a certain age and under a certain fuel economy. This greatly benefited auto manufacturers and investors at the direct expense of taxpayers and used car buyers by using government funding to essentially purchase and destroy ~half of the used car market at the time, depending who you ask.
There are still too many people who forgot how to drive during pandemic.
For example, just the other day my dog was almost murdered because some idiot came zooming around the bend and “stopped” well past the crosswalk we were in. At an all-way stop sign. With cars already stopped.
Sidebar, what’s up with the data unavailable and then the data on the graph?
Looks like it’s just 2024 specifically that’s unavailable for Germany and UK.
The data is a snip straight from the Wall Street Journal. I provided the link.
If you live outside of dense urban areas, there are usually NO sidewalks for pedestrians. Intersections often lack crosswalks, and the timing of traffic lights don’t actually give people enough time to even cross the street. On top of that, with the advent of cell phones, people are more distracted while they are driving than ever before.
But why increasing over the prior period? I have a theory you’re not going to like.
Demands for safer (for vehicle occupants), and more aerodynamic profiles, lead to giant angled framing in the cabin that sits exactly in the worst place to create a blind spot for pedestrians.
If it’s going to increase you have to blame something that changed.
Correlate that with truck size.
It’s even scarier because I’ve seen fewer and fewer people outside walking over the years. I’d imagine that it’s more dangerous than it seems.
Who is the genius that choose to make a gray scale instead of different colors
Terrible infrastructure decisions combined with massive tank sized vehicles going 40 mph down side streets while many are stressed out working 2 jobs looking down at their smart phone to see if they’re going to be late. Surprised?
And company policies that consider 1 minute late to be penalty-worthy. And long vast stretches of straight road. (“Design roads like barrels and people will drive like bullets.”)
Longer and longer commutes…
Unpredictable jams and construction…
It’s all fundamentally designed in opposition to human well-being.
I still remember when a coworker a while back came to work the first time an hour late because their alarm didn’t go off in the morning and they were freaking out. One of the reasons I left. I seriously hate that culture entirely.
As a Miata driver in the deep south - it has never been more dangerous.
I used to be one of those as well. Moved to WV and it added a new element of fun…icy roads. Three years of that and sadly I became an ex-owner of a Miata since I couldn’t really winter the car and I had a motivated buyer. I miss that car most days but you really have to be on your toes all the time with the tractor trailers and “yank tanks” as they lovingly refer to them across the pond.
Subes are boring but effective in this part of the country.
i mean, those plebs pedestrians and kids just walking around are basically asking for it /s
The only way to stop a bad driver with a truck is a good pedistrian with a truck.
That’s more or less the sales pitch for bigger and bigger vehicles; “Protect your family from big vehicles by buying a bigger vehicle today!”
“I don’t care! I need bigger pickup truck regardless of the cost to society. Make 'em bigger, boys!! Fuck standards and fuck regulations! Human life is cheap anyways.”.
Well according to the numbers its clear that instead of dying overseas they are coming to the US to get run over /s
It’s insane how terrible our oversized suvs and trucks have gotten. There is a 12" blind spot in front of many of them now where you can’t see someone sitting down or a small child.
Absolutely insanity.
As both a pedestrian and on the road, I’ve almost gotten killed on my bike so many times I’m surprised I’m not dead yet
How did they go up in 2020 in the us
This is a very good question. Naively one would think that the pandemic would cut the number of miles driven and therefore fatalities.
However, I also recall that after lockdowns there was a clear drop in driving skills due to a lack of practice which may have offset The lower vehicle miles.
that’s a problem that will fix itself when there are no more pedestrians left
