- cross-posted to:
- mildlyinteresting
- cross-posted to:
- mildlyinteresting
May be interesting here because walkable cities and transit directly reduce unnecessary deaths
Massachusetts consistently ranks as the safest state for drivers in terms of fatality rate, with only 4.9 deaths per 100,000 people. Its success is largely credited to stringent DUI laws … Urban density also plays a role – Boston’s congested streets and statewide lower speed limits in urban areas reduce the opportunity for high-speed crashes. The state also has a strong public transportation network, which decreases total vehicle miles traveled.
While focusing on fatalities can certainly be impactful for human interest stories, pragmatically speaking I think overall casualties and/or monetary damages are more useful metrics for putting into perspective the immense chilling effect auto-oriented development puts on society and the economy—the latter being the biggest motivator for those with the power to make the biggest changes.
Further reading from Strong Towns that I found very informative: