US Roads Remain Dangerously Designed, Report Finds, Highlighting Need for Systemic Safety Overhaul

TITLE: US Roads Remain Dangerously Designed, Report Finds, Highlighting Need for Systemic Safety Overhaul
SLUG: us-roads-dangerously-designed-safety-report
EXCERPT: A new analysis reveals that pedestrian deaths on American roads are at near-record highs, with progress on safety stagnating, prompting calls for a fundamental shift in how roads are designed and managed.
CATEGORY: policy-governance
TAGS: road safety, pedestrian deaths, urban planning, US transport policy, infrastructure
SEO_TITLE: US Roads Dangerously Designed: Pedestrian Safety Stagnates, Report Urges Overhaul
SEO_DESCRIPTION: A critical analysis of US road safety shows pedestrian fatalities remain alarmingly high, with minimal progress in preventing deaths. The report calls for systemic changes in road design and policy.
MEDIA_QUERY: Street intersection in a US city with poor pedestrian infrastructure
IMAGE_ALT: A busy street corner in a US city showing a lack of adequate pedestrian crossings and wide vehicle lanes.

US Roads Remain Dangerously Designed, Report Finds, Highlighting Need for Systemic Safety Overhaul

American roads continue to be “dangerous by design,” with pedestrian fatalities remaining at alarmingly high levels, according to a new analysis. The annual “Dangerous by Design” report, released by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition, highlights a stark lack of progress in improving road safety for walkers, with many states showing no improvement or even becoming more dangerous.

The report, which uses the latest available federal data, reveals that 7,080 pedestrians died on US roads in 2024. While this figure represents a 6% decrease from 2022, it is a staggering 72% increase since 2009 and is nearly equivalent to the number of pedestrian deaths recorded 42 years ago. This stagnation underscores a long-term devolution in road safety, with advocates criticising superficial claims of victory by government officials who they argue are ignoring the systemic issues.

Key Facts

Systemic Failures in Road Design

The report identifies state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) as wielding significant power in shaping road policies that impact safety. However, meaningful progress at the state level is described as “almost non-existent.” Of the 20 states identified as most dangerous for pedestrians, 19 have shown no signs of improvement or have become more hazardous over the period examined. Only a small fraction of states have demonstrated sustained progress.

Delaware, despite being the most-improved state by lowering pedestrian fatalities by 0.41% over a five-year period, still ranks as the 10th most-dangerous state. Memphis, Tennessee, was identified as the deadliest metropolitan area for pedestrians in the country during the same five-year period, with a fatality rate of 5.5 pedestrians per 100,000 people. Local reporting highlights the severity of the issue, with one news segment noting over a dozen pedestrian incidents in Memphis in just over a week.

Critique of Official Narratives

The report directly challenges recent claims of improved road safety made by the Trump administration. In April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator cited a slight decline in pedestrian fatalities as evidence of safer roads, a claim advocates dismissed as ignoring the dire long-term trend. Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, stated, “Our leaders are celebrating small improvements from historic deaths as some major victory, while thousands of people continue to be hit and killed while walking every year.” She added, “If we were any other country, this would be treated as a national crisis.”

Misleading Metrics and Global Comparisons

A key criticism levelled at the NHTSA is its reliance on a metric of traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. This metric, which is largely unique to the US, can obscure the severity of the problem. As Americans drive more, the death rate per vehicle mile can decrease even if the absolute number of deaths remains high.

In contrast, the rest of the world, including Smart Growth America, measures death rates per capita. Using this method, the US is moving in the wrong direction compared to other developed nations. In 2024, the US had 11.7 traffic fatalities per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the 8.73 figure in 34 “peer nations” that have made substantial progress in traffic safety over a decade. The report estimates that if the US had achieved similar progress, more than 63,000 lives could have been saved between 2014 and 2024.

Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Communities

The report also highlights the disproportionate impact of road danger on specific demographic groups. Pedestrian fatalities fall along lines of race and socioeconomic status. American Indian and Alaskan Natives experienced a fatality rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people, nearly quadruple the overall rate. Black Americans had a rate of 3.67, Hispanic or Latino Americans at 1.9, and white Americans at 1.6. Low-income Americans are also more likely to die in crashes.

Policy Recommendations and Missed Opportunities

Historically, significant reductions in traffic fatalities in the US have followed major national policy shifts, such as the mandate for seatbelts in 1968 and the establishment of a national speed limit in 1974. However, the report suggests a lack of appetite for similar safety measures at the federal level, contrasting with approaches seen in Europe, such as GPS speed governors in new vehicles or increased taxes on heavier vehicles.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, while a significant piece of legislation, contained limited funding for safety-minded, traffic-calming design changes. The act was intended to encourage the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to adopt a “Safe System approach,” but the report notes that the NHTSA’s own “Safe System” dashboard appears to be non-functional.

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts has raised the “safety crisis” in a letter to Senate Republicans, noting that the US vehicular death rate is four times higher than in Britain or Germany. However, even his acknowledgement of progress through the IIJA is seen by advocates as understating the scale of the problem and overstating the impact of current legislation on achieving zero road deaths.

The core issue remains a systemic failure to prioritise human life in road design and policy. Until a fundamental shift occurs towards designing roads for all users, not just for faster vehicle movement, the “Dangerous by Design” designation is likely to persist.

Source: Streetsblog USA – https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/06/16/safety-last-under-trump-u-s-roads-continue-to-be-dangerous-by-design