A newreportfinds that North American streets are getting deadlier for pedestrians.
That averages out to 18 people a day and a deadly 4.5% increase from 2019.
To make matters worse, the burden is not shared equally among pedestrians.
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Black pedestrians are twice as likely to be killed than white, non-Hispanic pedestrians.
Native Americans faced risks nearly three times as great.
Unfortunately, it seems that these streets arent serving Black and Native Americans.
And urban design has a role in these deaths.
Black and Native Americans are more likely to reside lower-income neighborhoods.
These neighborhoods traditionally have fewer sidewalks and parks, as well as more arterial roads.
This leads to higher speeds and more traffic, which results in a higher number of pedestrian fatalities.
Compare this to outer regions that may not even have sidewalks to begin with.
Speed-related kills increased during the pandemic
According to the report, road design preferences speed over safety.
As roads became less congested during the pandemic, driver speeds increased.
Faster driving increases the likelihood a pedestrian will be killed rather than just injured.
Newer vehicles generally have better crash avoidance technology than older models and have pedestrian detection as a standard feature.
However, the decline in new vehicle sales in 2020 slowed safer vehicle integration on the road.
As a result, pedestrians were less protected than they could have been.
The data also revealed that in 2021 deaths triggered by passenger cars grew by 36%.
Specifically, SUV-caused fatalities increased by a whopping 76%, and thats concerning.
Sometimes because the people there had less power to resist.
And sometimes as part of a direct effort to replace or eliminate Black neighborhoods.
This inherently racist infrastructure not only led to higher pedestrian fatalities but also increasedair pollutionnear where people live.
It can impact property values and prohibit workers from accessing higher-paid jobs due to long expensive commutes.
Vehicle makers are acutely aware of the need to build safer cars.
But we also need equity in urban design.
And thats how we build safer roads.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
