Here is an interesting article from the people who publish Wordle. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/upshot/road-deaths-pedestrians-cyclists.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
If you are TLDR, then here is a summary. If you don’t know TLDR, then time to catch up with the current world racing past you. Per the NY Times’ article, “Much of the familiar explanation for America’s road safety record lies with a transportation system primarily designed to move cars quickly, not to move people safely. “Motor vehicles are first, highways are first, and everything else is an afterthought,” said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.
All you really need to know is that we are badly lagging all our fellow developed countries in basic safety measures for bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. Much of the changes that are suggested in the article are simple road design changes and some vehicle changes. If you narrow a roadway, build a roundabout, and paint pedestrian areas, you will reduce fatalities. It is not so difficult.
Have you ever heard of a ghost bike or seen one? I ride about 1500 miles a year and seeing a ghost bike is always a sobering and concerning event. A ghost bike is a white painted bike chained to a post and it marks where a cyclist was killed. They dot the City of Philadelphia. I was riding over the summer DTS and passed two ghost bikes there. In Newport, Rhode Island, I passed three near their famous beaches. Basically, if you are biking and passing ghost bikes, you better be extra careful and it simply makes you sad. If you don’t know DTS, go look that up too. I have teen girls and their odd lingo seeps in over time. BRB!
DJT always moaned about the US being weak in the eyes of the world. Here is something we are actually weak at, but is easily fixable. Other things, like healthcare, and a social safety net are a little tougher to work through.