Traffic fatalities on American roads are rising faster than driving mileage. Chart: National Safety Council
The number of traffic deaths in America each year is so staggering, it almost defies comprehension -- about 35,000 lives lost is the norm. But 2016 is shaping up to be even worse.
Emma Kilkelly at Mobilizing the Region reports on newly-released data from the first half of 2016 showing a disturbing increase in traffic deaths:
The National Safety Council (NSC) recently estimated that motor vehicle fatalities rose 9 percent in the first six months of 2016 compared to 2015, and 18 percent compared to 2014. At this rate, 2016 is shaping up to be the deadliest year for driving since 2007. This Labor Day weekend is on track to be the nation’s deadliest since 2008, with 438 fatalities projected over the three-day period.
The need for safer streets is clear, but not every community is answering the call.
The American traffic fatality rate was already far worse than peer nations, and now the gap is probably even wider. As Deborah Hersman of the National Safety Council said, "Our complacency is killing us."
Elsewhere on the Network today: Amateur Planner explains how a maddeningly indirect bus route in the Boston area got to be so "wiggly." Cyclelicious relays a news item that erroneously blamed a 12-year-old bicycle rider for making a school bus driver veer into a ditch. And Transport Providence considers how much safer and more pleasant the city could be if it were willing to sacrifice a few parking spaces.