Traffic Crashes

NHTSA to Introduce New Female Crash Test Dummy
Modern crash test dummies have advanced features that account for different body types and genders, but government regulators have been slow to adopt the technology.

The Geography of Fatal Car Crashes
Where do the most traffic deaths happen?

Indianapolis Right-Turn-on-Red Ban Faces Challenge
A state senator has introduced a bill that would reverse the Indianapolis law and prevent other Indiana cities from instituting similar bans.

Philadelphia Traffic Calming Initiative Pays Off
City officials say serious crashes are down by 34 percent on streets that were the target of Complete Streets projects.

Crash Analysis Studio Brings ‘Standard of Care’ to Traffic Fatalities
A new tool from Strong Towns provides a model for comprehensively evaluating the causes behind deadly crashes and how to prevent them.

Arlington County Authorizes Speed Cameras
The Arlington County board approved a program that will install traffic cameras in an effort to protect pedestrians and reduce police interactions.

Opinion: Road Safety Data Should Include Close Calls
Even in the absence of lethal collisions, the experience of repeated near-misses can discourage pedestrians from walking and degrade public perception of road safety.

Illinois Traffic Deaths Up by 10% Over 2020
Officials point to speeding and reckless driving as causes for the increase in fatal crashes.

Tiger Woods Crash: Blame the Road, Not the Driver, Say Authorities
"Purely an accident" is how the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department characterized the one-person, single-vehicle rollover crash that severely injured golfing celebrity Tiger Woods on Feb. 23 while driving on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Horrific Cyclist's Death in Brooklyn Prompts Calls for New Thinking on Cars
José Alzorriz was killed while waiting on a bike at a red light. An SUV, T-boned by a red light-runner, literally flew into him.
Deaths of Seven Motorcyclists Results in Resignation of Motor Vehicle Registry Chief
A pickup truck driver towing a trailer on a two-lane rural road in New Hampshire on June 21 is charged with seven counts of vehicular homicide after colliding with a group of motorcycle riders. Attention has turned to his commercial driver's license.

Pedestrian Deaths Last Year Projected to Be Highest Since 1990
Among the factors that stand out in the "Spotlight on Highway Safety" report released Thursday by the Governors Highway Safety Association is increased "death by SUV," which kill at a higher rate than cars. Distraction, however, is hard to prove.
Bill Would Make California's Urban State HIghways Safer for Non-Motorists
Sen. Scott Wiener introduced legislation to make state highways that run through villages, town, and cities, often acting as main streets, accommodate the safety needs of walkers, cyclists, and transit users when undergoing capital improvements.

Autonomous Driving Technology Might Have Saved Lives
It could have been a multiple-vehicle fatal car crash—a driver fell asleep at the wheel driving 70 mph—but the outcome was two DUI charges.

Hit-and-Run Traffic Fatalities Reach Record High
Over 2,000 people died from hit-and-run collisions on American roads in 2016, the highest since 2009, claiming a disproportionate amount of pedestrian and cyclist lives. One solution: more protected bike lanes.

Design Solutions for Distracted Driving
A columnist explores how to create an environment that encourages focused, safe driving.
The Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicle Testing
Autonomous vehicles hold the potential to greatly reduce auto crashes. Advocates want them on the road as early as possible to reduce fatalities. Skeptics worry that the public will be guinea pigs during the testing—case in point: Elaine Herzberg.

Failure of Automated Driving Technology Blamed for First Pedestrian Fatality
Experts who watched the videos taken by onboard cameras equipped in the Volvo SUV that hit Elaine Herzberg determined that Uber's automated driving system failed to perform adequately. The crash points to a need for regulations.
Tempe Police Chief: Uber AV vs. Pedestrian Crash May Have Been Unavoidable
After viewing the videos taken by two cameras equipped in the Uber autonomous vehicle that fatally struck 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg on Sunday, the chief concluded the crash was difficult to avoid. Also, lessons on the crash from David Leonhardt.

What's Behind the Removal of Public-Private Partnerships from Trump's Infrastructure Plan?
Partnering with the private sector carries risks. Witness the mess that followed the selection of a private firm to build an interstate in Indiana in 2014 that Vice President Mike Pence should have prevented in his prior position as governor.
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