NY Times Pins Surging Road Deaths on Phones, Drugs, Poor Lighting

By Sean Tucker 12/11/2023 8:34am

“If the U.S. had made as much progress reducing vehicle crashes as other high-income countries had over the past two decades, about 25,000 fewer Americans would die every year.” That’s the stark math at the heart of a New York Times report on why, exactly, America’s road death toll is rising.

The numbers are startling. The U.S. death rate from motor vehicle miles traveled fell steadily for almost 100 years before, around a decade ago, suddenly rising. Why, the Times asked, are more Americans dying in car accidents even as automakers keep introducing more advanced safety technology?

And why is it only happening here? Other rich industrialized countries haven’t mirrored the rise.

Many blame the increasing size of cars on American roads. A recent insurance industry study found that tall, blocky vehicle designs (this year’s hottest trend) are more deadly to pedestrians. Another found that SUVs and pickups are more likely than cars to kill pedestrians, lending some weight to the size argument.

But, the Times notes, “American cars were relatively large even before 2009, and the rate at which new cars replace existing ones is slow.” That doesn’t explain a post-2013 trend.

Looking for an answer, the Times focused on one specific aspect of the problem. “Nearly all of this rise comes from pedestrian deaths at night,” the report notes.

They found three possible explanations:

Smartphones

The surge in pedestrian deaths almost lines up with the rise of the smartphone, the report suggests.

Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a company that studies driving data for the insurance industry, told the Times that “Americans spend nearly three times as much time interacting with their phones while driving as drivers in Britain.”

But hasn’t that happened in most wealthy countries? Why would it be unique to the U.S.? Because, the report suggests, we only need one hand to drive.

Fewer than 2% of new cars sold in the U.S. are equipped with manual transmissions. In Europe, the Times says, “they still make up about 70 to 75 percent of cars on the road.”

Impaired, But Not Drunk, Driving

The peak in road deaths “also overlaps with the rise of opioids and the legalization of recreational marijuana,” the Times notes.

The NYT explains that “Periodic federal roadside surveys, last updated in 2013-14, have found declining alcohol use by drivers and a rising share testing positive for drugs.”

Other federal studies conflict with that data. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study recently found that deaths caused by drunk drivers have risen in 36 states in recent years.

Federal law will require anti-drunk driving technology in all new cars sold in 2026. But the law doesn’t cover other intoxicants.

Lack of Sidewalks and Streetlights

Finally, the Times suggests Americans may simply be moving to areas that aren’t well-equipped to protect pedestrians at night.

“Many areas that have had poor pedestrian safety records going back decades — especially metro areas in Florida, Texas, and Arizona — have also seen the greatest recent population growth,” the report explains.

Roads with higher speed limits and fewer sidewalks, crosswalks, and streetlights are common outside of cities. “Pedestrian deaths over the last 20 years have declined in downtown areas and increased in the suburbs,” the report says.

Maybe Higher-Tech Cars Can’t Fix Road Deaths

All of these explanations have one thing in common – they likely can’t be fixed by building safer cars.

During the same period that pedestrian road deaths have been peaking, automakers have been investing in advanced driver assistance systems and filling advertisements with cars that stop themselves from hitting people.

Those systems, however, don’t work well at night. Other in-car technologies might help. Driver attention monitors are proliferating and could help cut smartphone use behind the wheel. But, with the average new car lasting into its second decade now, new technologies will spread slowly.

Instead, the Times suggests, road design may be the key. “Distracted drivers are safer at lower speeds. People out at night are safer with well-lit crosswalks.”

Nicholas Ferenchak, a professor at the University of New Mexico and director of the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety, tells the Times that “even monster trucks are safe on safer roads.”