[An earlier version of this was published online on August 22 and will be in print on Sunday, August 25th in the Reno Gazette Journal . This version has updated information (unfortunately our stats are now worse!) and provides links to references and resources.]

We have a safety crisis on our roadways. Crashes and fatalities are on the rise, with US pedestrian fatalities up 77% since 2010 [1]. It is even worse in Nevada, which is the 10th most deadly state for pedestrians [2]. These are not just numbers – these are devastating tragedies involving friends, coworkers, and family. Just this Sunday, a car collided with and killed one of our neighbors and her dog while crossing King’s Row in northwest Reno [3].

An investigation is underway, but there is one thing experts already know: Deadly crashes are a predictable outcome of design choices [4]. 

One deadly design choice: prioritizing speed [5]. The posted speed limit where the crash occurred is 30 mph. But residents will tell you that people routinely drive much faster. Why? The current road design encourages speed. King’s Row has freeway-width lanes and the roadway is far wider than local neighborhood streets. It has long straightaways and broadly sweeping turns. The intersection with Mc Donald Drive features high-radius corners. All of these features increase danger by “telling” motorists to drive fast [6].

Public officials have stated that “speed does not appear to be a factor.” But with deadly crashes, speed is always a factor. With less time to react, reduced perception of people, and longer braking distances, higher speeds mean more crashes [7]. What’s more, the risk of fatality goes up dramatically with speed. A car traveling 35 mph (common on King’s Row) is 5 times more likely to kill a pedestrian than a car traveling 20 mph [8].  

Another deadly design choice: Not providing safer intersections and crossings. Despite requests from residents, this limited-visibility intersection lacks critical safety features to protect pedestrians. There is poor lighting, only partially painted crosswalks, vehicle parking right up to the corner, and no pedestrian-activated crossing light.

While safety awareness campaigns and equitable enforcement have their place, better roadway design is the most effective way to reduce deadly crashes [9]. There is an entire toolkit of evidence-backed solutions and many of them are already showing up in Northern Nevada. One of these is safety lighting: pedestrians at lighted intersections are 2.5 times less likely to be killed [10]. Elsewhere on King’s Way, the City of Reno installed “curb extensions” that increase visibility, calm vehicle speeds, and shorten the distance that pedestrians must cross [11]. Other intersections and crossings have “daylighting” treatments to prevent cars from parking within 20 feet. Protecting bike lanes with barriers or parked cars not only makes bicyclists safer; it makes everybody safer by moderating motorist speed [6].

Unfortunately, these solutions are still exceptions in a streetscape where outdated and unsafe designs dominate. Today’s engineers want to build safer streets, and our community is tired of tragedy after tragedy. But engineers face limited resources and outdated traditions that prioritize car throughput and speed above all else [12].  This is why we must collaborate and speak up in support of safer streets. Please tell you council member and county commissioner that you support:

–              Roads features to moderate speeds, such as speed tables, chicanes, roadside trees, protected bike lanes, and narrower lanes

–              Safer crossing and intersection designs, such as better lighting, daylighting, improved signals, and raised crosswalks

I also encourage you to participate in public meetings and get involved with pro-safety groups such as Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance, Strong Towns Reno, and your local Safe Routes to School program. 

Finally, as the brother of a victim of a preventable roadway crash, I ask you to please drive, walk, and roll safely and to show care and support for those who mourn this and other tragic losses. 

Thomas Albright, PhD, is a professor focusing on sustainability, and is the board president of the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance.  

References:

[1]https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Pedestrians24#:~:text=Since%202010%2C%20pedestrian%20deaths%20have,people%20walking%20on%20U.S.%20roadways.

[2]https://smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design/state-of-the-states/

[3] https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2024/08/19/person-dog-stuck-and-killed-by-car-at-kings-row-on-sunday-evening/74857974007/

[4] https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/getting-around/info-2021/dangerous-street-design-safe-street-design.html

[5] https://t4america.org/2022/07/12/dangerous-by-design-22/ 

[6] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0885412209335553

[7] https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv24-977-34-rpt.pdf

[8] https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/relationship_between_speed_risk_fatal_injury_pedestrians_and_car_occupants_richards.pdf

[9] https://visionzeronetwork.org/fundamentals-of-the-safe-system-approach/ 

[10] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15389588.2022.2100362

[11] https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/curb-extensions/

[12] https://islandpress.org/books/killed-traffic-engineer#desc

More info on our epidemic of roadway injuries and death

What is “Traffic Violence”? 

Traffic violence refers to injury and death on and near roadways, mostly due to crashes involving cars. The terms “traffic violence” and “crashes” are increasingly preferred by activists and experts over the term “accident,” which (inaccurately) carries with it a sense of inevitability. 

How big of a traffic violence problem do we have?

Traffic violence is on par with gun violence as the leading cause of loss of life in the USA.

• The USA has the highest rate of road deaths per capita, about 2.3 times higher than the average rate of the 28 most developed countries assessed. 
• Unlike declining trends in most other wealthy countries, the USA is seeing large increases in rates of pedestrian deaths – up 77% between 2010 and 2021.
• Nevada was ranked the 8th most deadly state for pedestrians during 2016-2020. Unfortunately our roads have only gotten more dangerous since then, with both 2021 and 2022 being among the top five most dangerous years recorded for both pedestrians and bicyclists. 
• This toll of traffic violence does not even include secondary effects associated with sedentary lifestyles, added stress, and air pollution and climate change produced by car-dependence.

Who is most affected?

All segments of our society are affected by this public health crisis, but not at equal rates.

• Vulnerable road users, including people walking, biking, and on motorcycles, are of special concern since they are much more likely to suffer severe injuries or death if involved in a crash.
• Crashes are more likely to occur on larger, typically multi-laned arterial roads, both urban and rural.
• There are also socioeconomic disparities linked in part to where people live, the timing of their travels, and transportation access. Notably, Black and Hispanic people are more than twice as likely per mile traveled to suffer fatalities as pedestrians and bicyclists.

What are some causes?

There are many factors that contribute to the higher rates and increasing trend of traffic violence in Nevada and the USA, including:

• Road design prioritizing “level of service” (~vehicular traffic flow) over safety and livability.  
• The increasing size of personal vehicles is associated with increased crashes and higher fatalities. For example, a child hit by a (larger) SUV is 8x more likely to die than if struck by a passenger car.
• Low density (~sprawling) land use and “entrenched automobility,” can often make anything but personal vehicle transportation highly impractical and even socially stigmatized.

However, we know how to fix this (even if it won’t always be easy)!

Other places can serve as examples for our communities as they enjoy high standards of living, greater transportation equity, and lower rates of traffic violence. Transportation experts are turning to a more holistic “safe systems” approach in order to implement Vision Zero, which seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities. Evidence-backed areas for improving safety of all road users include:

• Reduce speed limits! Lower speed limits reduce the number of crashes and make them far less deadly, often with little-to-no effect on commuting times.
• Road design changes such as pedestrian-friendly crossings, increasing visibility at intersections, limiting right on red, reduced design speed, and bicycle infrastructure.

Targeted and equitable automated speed and red light safety cameras in high risk areas, such as school zones.