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Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

construction-physics.com

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Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#191

Post by cozzyd »

sanex wrote: post #166
banga wrote: post #30

This morning while jogging in the US I came to an intersection. Green lights and walk on in my direction. A car approaching from my left had a red light, the driver glanced to his left and without stopping or looking in my direction, turned right across my path. I expected this of course, so avoided being run over. If I wasn't watching for this, it likely would be a different outcome. So why do so many pedestrians ge…

Looks like most of these comments aren't reading the article. Most of the pedestrian deaths are not at intersections. Likely it's a combo of big vehicles, distracted pedestrians and distracted drivers. One thing I've noticed in other countries is people are much more likely to jaywalk. I wonder if that is becoming more common as our share of immigrants increases.

I think it's also that driver skill in the US is on average very low. Anyone with a pulse can get a driver license

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#192

Post by IAmBroom »

Gigachad wrote: post #128
Zambyte wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment makes it seem like people are built differently in the US than they are in the rest of the world, but that obviously isn't true. The roads (particularly intersections, where crashes tend to happen) are in fact built differently though. Urbanist resources like NotJustBikes and Oh The Urbanity! YouTube channels do a great job of highlighting the differences, and how they force drivers to pay attention thro…

Some amount is likely cultural too.

Citation needed. Maybe, but maybe "some" is essentially zero.

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#193

Post by IAmBroom »

estimator7292 wrote: post #157
Zambyte wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment makes it seem like people are built differently in the US than they are in the rest of the world, but that obviously isn't true. The roads (particularly intersections, where crashes tend to happen) are in fact built differently though. Urbanist resources like NotJustBikes and Oh The Urbanity! YouTube channels do a great job of highlighting the differences, and how they force drivers to pay attention thro…

No, the US has a culture of not giving a single shit about anyone but yourself. A frighteningly large fraction of drivers will do anything they can get away with. Here in the land of the free, rules are for other people, not for me.

American exceptionalism, even when used as a negative, is a stereotype, and often a fable.

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#194

Post by [deleted] »

ageitgey wrote: post #153
banga wrote: post #30

This morning while jogging in the US I came to an intersection. Green lights and walk on in my direction. A car approaching from my left had a red light, the driver glanced to his left and without stopping or looking in my direction, turned right across my path. I expected this of course, so avoided being run over. If I wasn't watching for this, it likely would be a different outcome. So why do so many pedestrians ge…

This is exactly why this turn is illegal in nearly every country in the world except the US and Canada. [1] If you are in the UK, this turn is illegal always and everywhere, so it basically never happens. I grew up in the US with right turn on red, so I was used to it and accepted it as normal. But after living the UK for 6 years, I'm now physically shocked when visiting the US at how dangerous it is to walk around e…

[deleted]

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#195

Post by mesofile »

Besides the many other factors mentioned by commenters here, I'll add one other: drivers in the US rarely face consequences for killing pedestrians or, for that matter, other drivers, even when it's the result of willfully negligent or reckless behavior. It's such a longstanding trend that it's become a meme: if you want to get away with murder, make sure to kill your victim with a car. "I didn't see them/I made mistake" works so well that authorities just don't bring charges, because juries are so willing to accept this excuse. Perhaps because so many of them can see themselves doing the same thing.

See: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-is-the-u-s-so-good-at-k...

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#196

Post by kode95 »

fennecfoxy wrote: post #55

Culture.

I'm not sure why you're being downvoted. While car size and roads play a part in this problem, so does culture. And while the US culture is diverse and mixed, culture - in this case people's approach to driving - does play a part in this.

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#197

Post by jiri »

estimator7292 wrote: post #157
Zambyte wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment makes it seem like people are built differently in the US than they are in the rest of the world, but that obviously isn't true. The roads (particularly intersections, where crashes tend to happen) are in fact built differently though. Urbanist resources like NotJustBikes and Oh The Urbanity! YouTube channels do a great job of highlighting the differences, and how they force drivers to pay attention thro…

No, the US has a culture of not giving a single shit about anyone but yourself. A frighteningly large fraction of drivers will do anything they can get away with. Here in the land of the free, rules are for other people, not for me.

Yeah, but I dont see how your people can get away of ignoring laws of physics, as this is what the parent comment by "Zambyte" mentioned.

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#198

Post by IAmBroom »

FridayoLeary wrote: post #87
twelvechairs wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A huge part of poorly designed roads is wider lanes (and parking spaces) that allow/encourage huge cars. Its been proven that narrower lanes correlate strongly with lower crash and fatality rates (e.g. [0] below) yet lane widths are under pressure to increase with larger vehicles, and every time this happens the vehicles get larger again. [0] https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/narrower-lanes-safer-stree...

I heard the fire department wants wide lanes so they can drive around in those huge behemoths they love.

People living in buildings that are currently aflame tend to be fans of those behemoths. Speaking from experience.

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#199

Post by melenaboija »

rsynnott wrote: post #174
melenaboija wrote: post #163

I’m from Spain and have lived in the U.S. for 11 years. I 100 percent feel less punished here than in Spain while driving. Just yesterday while taking my daughter to school, I was looking at my phone, the light turned green, and the car behind me had to wait a few seconds, it was a police car. He clearly saw me, and absolutely nothing happened. The police back home in Catalonia would have roasted me for that. And I h…

> or eating with a plate and a for ... Like, the _driver_?

Yes

Re: Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

#200

Post by apothegm »

sethammons wrote: post #107
36Ndm wrote: post #9

Also if you look at they way the cars are designed in the US compared to Europe, the hoods of the cars are much higher, and not designed to prevent injury in the event of a car -> pedestraion incident

In the article, it talks about the big suv hypothesis and also points out that pedestrian deaths are up for sedans too. Are US sedans hood designs different than in Europe?

If you look at sedans from the early 90s, their front bumpers (and especially the bumper extensions that used to exist on most sedans, and which would be the first part to hit) would hit someone my height at or below the knee. Current sedans would hit me on the low to mid-thigh. That makes a meaningful difference in whether the pedestrian goes over or under the hood after being struck and has a massive impact (pun unintended) on injury severity, likelihood of head injuries, etc.

One other thing that’s changed for both SUVs and sedans is that for the sake of occupant safety, the pillars are MUCH wider than they were in cars built 35 years ago. The impact on visibility is massive, and those pillars are generally placed to directly obstruct the view of pedestrians in or waiting to enter a crosswalk when the driver wants to turn through it.

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