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Transportation:What’s Driving the US Traffic Safety Crisis?
CityLab
Transportation

As Traffic Deaths Spike, U.S. Pledges New Safety Strategy

Calling road fatalities an “unacceptable” crisis, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced a National Roadway Safety Strategy with an ambitious goal: zero traffic deaths. 

Even as driving declined during the pandemic in 2020, U.S. traffic deaths continued to surge — a trend that worsened in 2021. 

Even as driving declined during the pandemic in 2020, U.S. traffic deaths continued to surge — a trend that worsened in 2021. 

Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

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On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a new plan for addressing the recent spike in traffic fatalities — the National Roadway Safety Strategy.

In a departure from the widely held view that most vehicle crashes are due to human error, the strategy shifts greater responsibility to systems surrounding road users and outlines steps for shoring up systemic protections.