{
  "id": 15872253,
  "title": "Eliminating traffic deaths",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/eliminating-traffic-deaths",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-21T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/21/1146141/eliminating-traffic-deaths-impossible-issue/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every year, traffic crashes claim more than one million lives worldwide, making them the leading cause of death for children and young adults. In the United States alone, 100 people lose their lives daily in road accidents, often not on highways but on rural and local streets. Despite this grim reality, traffic deaths are often treated as an inevitable consequence, according to Leah Shahum, founder and director of the Vision Zero Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making streets safer.\n\nDetermining the root cause of a crash can be complex. Human error, such as speeding or distracted driving, certainly plays a role. However, the infrastructure itself can also contribute to the problem. Roads built for speed rather than safety, vehicles filled with screens, and intersections lacking visibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers all pose risks. Moreover, cheap and proven solutions exist to reduce traffic fatalities, such as using planters to narrow intersections, lowering speed limits, and implementing traffic-calming measures. Yet, bureaucratic hurdles and red tape can hinder progress.\n\nWhile the overall number of traffic deaths has risen over the past century, the United States has seen a concerning increase in pedestrian deaths in recent years. Despite this, communities are increasingly recognizing the importance of traffic safety policies. Hoboken, New Jersey, serves as a shining example, with no traffic fatalities since 2017. This success can be attributed to a combination of factors, including increased investment in public transportation, promoting walkability by extending curbs, and using cameras to identify intersections prone to crashes.\n\nHowever, challenges remain. Hoboken's success may not be easily replicable in cities like Memphis or Dallas, which face different dynamics. The city's acting director of transportation and parking, Greg Francese, acknowledges that convincing stakeholders to remove parking spaces for wider curbs can be difficult, as it involves \"selling insurance\" through improvements. Furthermore, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for reducing traffic deaths, as success in one city may not translate to another. Nevertheless, progress can be made. In Edmonton, Alberta, a sprawling, car-centric city of about one million people, traffic fatalities dropped by 63% and serious injuries decreased by 40% between 2015 and 2020. This was achieved by adjusting speed limits and improving signals at crosswalks. The key to progress lies in funding and the political will to implement these changes.",
  "summary": "Every year, traffic crashes kill more than one million people, and they’re the leading cause of death for children and young adults. In the US, 100 people a day lose their lives this way, in many cases not on highways but on rural and local streets. “Traffic deaths are a leading cause of preventable death,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}