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Most pedestrian result from pedestrians doing stupid things, like walking in the middle of the road at night wearing black while drunk.A ridiculous notion not supported by anything you've linked. Somehow it's the most vulnerable road users that are at fault?
If that's the case, then why are pedestrian death rates in the US so bad compared to Europe? Do european pedestrians do fewer stupid things? Do they drink less?
> The most dangerous roads are multilane roads e.g. highways: "among 60 roads that had the most pedestrian deaths during 2001-2016, all were roads with adjacent commercial retail space, nearly all were multilane roads"
If there's adjacent commercial space, it's not a highway, it's a stroad. The article explains it quite well:
"There’s no single explanation for why it’s getting more dangerous to walk on US roads, but there are a few major contributing factors. One is deadly road design."
"A stroad is the worst of both worlds, and is incredibly dangerous to pedestrians. The data bears this out: In 2021, the latest GHSA report says, 60.4 percent of pedestrian fatalities happened on such roads, which often lack infrastructure that would make it safe for pedestrians, such as good lighting and frequent crosswalks. As a consequence, many of the people killed last year were struck at night."
"Another major factor contributing to climbing pedestrian fatalities is the American love affair with big vehicles. Over the last 20-plus years, US consumers have turned away from the small cars that used to dominate our roadways in favor of increasingly larger SUVs and light trucks. These larger, heavier vehicles create big blind spots and are more deadly to pedestrians when they strike them — especially children. From 2000 to 2019, smaller vehicles such as sedans dropped from 60 percent of all vehicles to around 40 percent, while the number of SUVs surged, from 10 percent to over 30 percent. In 2021, trucks and SUVs made up more than 80 percent of new vehicle sales, and there’s little sign of that trend abating"
Personal responsibility isn't a useful concept when it comes to safety. Safety can only be achieved when the infrastructure is designed for it.
Putting up a speed limit sign isn't going to slow down a vehicle, shining a red light at it is not going to stop it, a line on the road isn't going to prevent a vehicle from crossing it. That's how pedestrians and cyclists die.
Reducing lanes down to one will stop overtaking and narrowing lanes will slow vehicles down, as will introducing turns and twists. Putting up a physical barrier between the road and a cycle path will prevent cars from intruding on the cyclists. Safety by design, not by wishful thinking.