Editorial: America’s deadly roadways
The mounting death toll on America’s streets and highways is a tragedy this nation should work more diligently to address.
The numbers are staggering: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 42,915 people died in vehicle crashes last year, up 10.5% over 2020.
That’s the largest annual percentage increase on record. It’s a clear warning that we must do better. Safer vehicles, new technologies and tougher laws helped reduce the number of traffic deaths, but the numbers started rising again in 2019, and during the pandemic years, they have gone up alarmingly — even as many people drove less.
Virginia shares in this deadly national trend. In 2021, 968 people died in auto crashes in Virginia, the most since 2007. Department of Motor Vehicle data say this year’s numbers are likely to be higher.
Federal, state and local officials are working to reverse the trend. The Biden administration earlier this year announced a new National Roadway Safety Strategy, and the new infrastructure law includes considerable investments in traffic safety.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All program is supposed to provide as much as $6 billion in federal funds for local efforts to reduce crashes. It targets five major areas: safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, care after crashes and — most important — safer people.
In Virginia, the number of deaths went up in several categories, including vehicle incidents involving pedestrians and bicycle riders. In Hampton Roads, in one five-day stretch in August, three pedestrians were killed by vehicles.
Norfolk has been battling an increase in pedestrian deaths for a few years now, even though the city adopted the “Vision Zero” plan three years ago. Vision Zero is a national campaign with a goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and severe injuries.
Norfolk has improved crosswalks, reduced speed limits and provided more and better bike lanes and sidewalks, among other measures. Yet, the city recorded nine pedestrian deaths in 2021 — a tie for most in a year — and will likely break that record in 2022.
There are calls for more funds from the city to bolster the Vision Zero efforts. More money could help in Norfolk and everywhere, including the new federal funds.
But no matter how we improve cars, roads and regulations, the person behind the wheel ultimately is the most critical part of the equation. Speeding, careless driving, distracted driving and aggressive driving all translate to more dangerous roads.
That’s certainly true here in Hampton Roads, where state troopers report a noticeable increase in aggressive – intentionally dangerous – driving, including speeds higher than 100 mph, and where road rage fueled highway shooting incidents this summer.
Driving in Hampton Roads, with crowded tunnels, bridges and too much traffic, is always frustrating, exhausting and potentially dangerous. People from all over the country live here, so bad habits acquired elsewhere make for less predictability on area roadways.
New technologies make vehicles “smarter” and safer, but increasingly automated cars may bring new safety challenges. Psychological scientists warn that cars that do nearly everything themselves will lead to drivers being less attentive and unable to respond quickly in emergencies.
What this all means is that it’s more important than ever for each of us to be smarter, more cautious and more compassionate when we drive.
This isn’t NASCAR. Driving here isn’t a competition. So calm it down out there.
When merging, let a driver or two in rather than speeding up to cut them off. Start slowing down, not speeding up, when the light turns yellow. Be aware of what’s happening around you, including that person or cyclist in the crosswalk when the light turns green. And stop texting or fiddling with your phone while driving; that’s been illegal for more than a year.
We should support better roads, smarter laws, improved intersections and crosswalks, safer vehicles — anything that can be done to reduce senseless traffic deaths. When it comes right down to it, though, everything depends on the person behind the wheel.
