American roads are dangerous. How can we make them safer?

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

Compared to other wealthy nations, America has twice as many traffic deaths per capita. And in recent years, pedestrian and cyclist deaths have spiked. Experts say road design plays a big part in this. The most dangerous roads are “suburban arteries” that are often 5 or 6 lanes wide, with long distances between traffic lights where pedestrians can cross. On this episode of the podcast, we explore why American roads are designed almost exclusively for vehicles and what it would take to make them safer for people on foot and bicycle. Can streets allow good flow for vehicles, but still have bike lanes and safe crossing options for pedestrians? Cars these days are supercomputers on wheels – could technology solve this problem for us? Podcast Guests: Lizi Rahman, mother of Asif Rahman and member of Families for Safer Streets (https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/) Angie Schmitt, author of “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America” (https://usa.streetsblog.org/author/angie) Steve Morris, co-founder of the West Roxbury Safety Association (https://www.facebook.com/WestRoxburysafetyassociation/) John McElroy, journalist and president of Autoline (https://www.autoline.tv/)