A new report by Kevin Watkins tries to make visible the horrifying threat to children's health that road traffic presents. It is the leading cause of death globally for young people between the ages of 10 and 24, reports Sarah Goodyear.
What should be the most pressing issue for those concerned about the welfare of the world's children? Malaria? HIV/AIDS? Access to clean water?
According to the new report "Safe and Sustainable Roads: An Agenda for Rio+20," authored by Kevin Watkins, a non-resident senior research fellow at the Brookings Institute, and published by the Campaign for Global Road Safety, road traffic is the world's silent killer of children. "The sheer scale of the road traffic injury epidemic is not widely recognised. There is a widespread tendency to see that epidemic in terms of isolated and unpredictable events -- as ‘accidents' that befall unlucky individuals. In fact, there is nothing unpredictable about road traffic injuries. And the ‘road accident' vocabulary deflects attention from the systemic nature of the risks that claim so many, many lives," argues the report.
"The economic costs of all these traffic-related fatalities, in terms of lost income, lost educational opportunities, and health care expenditures, are massive. And yet there is no philanthropist stepping in with a huge check to fund prevention of traffic deaths, the way Bill Gates has with malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis. Instead, world financial institutions have pumped billions of dollars into road infrastructure, while dedicating only a tiny fraction of that to road safety," writes Goodyear.
FULL STORY: Road Traffic 'Single Biggest Source of Fatality' for Young People Worldwide
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
How a tidal wave of potential changes at the federal level could throw many programs planners depend on into chaos, a roundup of last year’s zoning stories, and the continuing ripple effects of a landmark Supreme Court case.
‘Safe Land Use:’ A Key to Road Safety
How approaching transportation planning through a public health lens can reduce traffic deaths.
How Urban Design Can Benefit Parents and Kids
Designing thoughtful, child-friendly public spaces can ease the burdens of modern parenting and offer safe spaces for children to learn self-reliance and resilience.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research