Last post identified the problem: US traffic-related pedestrian and cyclist injuries/deaths are at a 40-year high - and the US is an outlier relatively to other 1st world countries.
Why?
Here are 5 "common sense" reasons gathered and collated from a combination of CDC (Center for Disease Control), NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration), WHO (World Health Organization) sources and more:
-
“invisibility” - cyclists and pedestrians wearing clothes that blend with the road (as shown in the left side of the picture above)
-
distracted driving (cell phones and more)
-
more people using the road for exercise, especially over the past 2-3 years (COVID-related)
-
drivers not yielding to non-motorized traffic
-
Inadequate pedestrian/cyclist road and road-separate infrastructure
We know the numbers and why they are so high. Now, what are we going to do about it?
For Breitz! and me, another cross country car/bike road trip: this time with a lot more grit. More about that soon.