Originally Posted by
myrridin
Comparing absolute quantities of deaths without adjusting for different population sizes and geographic layout is simply faulty analysis. The use of Vehicle Miles Traveled accomplishes both adjustments and allows for an apples to apples comparison, hence why it was included in the cited report. And on that basis there is little difference currently among the nations included in the study, though they were much worse than we were a few decades ago. The better title for the article would have been; "Other Industrialized Nations Catch up with US on Automobile safety...)
I'm not comparing absolute quantities, I'm comparing # of deaths per population. My chances of dying from a car crash increases when the average person drives more miles. The less people drive, the safer the roads become. Vehicle Miles traveled muddies the water by assuming people have a fixed amount of miles they need to drive. America is less safe not because people drive more dangerous, but because people drive more often and for longer distances.
The suburban model is not a foregone conclusion, but a state we reached due to massive incentives and zoning laws restricting urban development. sggoodri said it better then I can.
Originally Posted by
sggoodri
Rural and low-density suburban residents not only travel farther by car per capita, but they have more severe crashes, due to higher speeds and head-on collision hazards on two-lane roads.
If Americans migrate toward a more urban, location-efficient lifestyle, the crash fatality rates per capita will likely decline for the US. Now, I'm not suggesting that public policy should force Americans to live in cities, but I think there is already a migration under way among young people, in part due to lower cost of transportation (especially where car ownership is avoided), and in part due to fewer jobs in rural areas. If urban areas are made desirable to live in, and zoning restrictions that favored low-density development and land use separation are adjusted, the market may support a movement toward shorter, slower daily trips.