The Disturbing Death Disparity on North American Roads

In a video recently we talked about the bad pedestrian experience in Miami. In response to this video we got some comments telling us to stop complaining. We actually understand this instinctive and emotional reaction people have against strangers coming to their city and criticizing it. But whether or not we should stop complaining, what do the numbers actually say about danger on Miami’s streets?
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References:
Miami-Dade County traffic crash statistics: www.flhsmv.gov/traffic-crash-...
City of Toronto traffic fatality statistics: www.toronto.ca/services-payme...
Analysis of traffic fatality rates in US cities (2019) used data from NHTSA FARS (select "Download Raw Data From FTP Site"): www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/f...
Miami-Dade murder rate: www.fdle.state.fl.us/CJAB/UCR...
Miami-Dade violent crime rate: edr.state.fl.us/content/area-p...
Canadian comparison, Montreal traffic fatalities: saaq.gouv.qc.ca/blob/saaq/doc...
Edmonton: globalnews.ca/news/6948602/ed...
Ottawa: files.ontario.ca/pdf-2_0/mto-...
Surrey (was actually 2018, not 2019): www.surrey.ca/services-paymen...
International traffic fatality statistics: data.oecd.org/transport/road-... (note that this says "Per 1 000 000 inhabitants", which appears to be an error; data is per 100,000 residents)

[@de-fault_de-fault]

“You’re not allowed to notice our city is making people die for no reason, because you’re not from here” is an interesting argument

[@micosstar]

the argument i believe makes sense if Miami bans visitors (or make some ridiculous law like "no looking at a car within 10 feet if you are pedistrian on public roads" and then get a citation)

[@alexseguin5245]

Truly one of the arguments of all time

[@AMPProf]

Yah I also splz realy good

[@enmorot]

Underrated comment!

[@brandonkirisaki9708]

STOP TELLING ME THAT I AM SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF PROBABILITY AND STOCHASTIC PROCESSES /joke

[@CaptHB]

lmao "NOOO YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND WE JUST KILL MORE PEOPLE WITH CARS DOWN HERE THAT'S OUR CULTURE" is what I'm hearing from carbrains.

[@piccalillipit9211]

The problem is the internet has allowed Am3ric4ns to be shown that they DONT live in "the greatest country on the planet" they just live in an ordinary country with lots of sh!tty stuff that others do better. And they simply can not cope with it - their personality is built on this myth...

[@Dill709]

I read that as "carbarians" and I think it totally works.

[@piccalillipit9211]

@Den_store_Kalmarunion Ive had to talk to lots of Am3ric4ns as aprt of my job - to many the fact you are poor is in and of its self proof you are morally bankrupt, to them you can NOT be poor and a "good" or "decent" person, if you were - you would not be poor Its a personal kind of "manifest destiny" or even "god would have blessed you if you deserve it" The FACT you are poor is and in its self obvious proof of your failings in life - it can NOT be an unjust system, they wre NOT privileged - YOU are unworthy its a really hard concept for a European to even get

[@Zalis116]

@@piccalillipit9211 The succinct American term for this is "prosperity gospel," which also works in reverse, i.e. "my wealth and success are proof that I am a virtuous and moral person!"

[@patriot9487]

My country is such a joke

[@stephensmith1509]

I'm sorry to the Miami folks who were offended but when someone can come in with numbers and prove that *Edmonton* is doing better than you by an order of magnitude, you've got to get your shit together

[@HeavyMetalorRockfan9]

idk why people in Canada keep shitting on Edmonton, it is by almost every single metric one of the best places to live in in the country, its right up there with Montreal in terms of quality of life but with lower taxes and larger pay and consequently even better housing affordability - particularly if you choose to live in one of the mature areas that are walkable. I suspect it's going to become a hub for artists going forward because it is one of the only places that has the density to support artists and affordable housing, also w global warming its honestly rather pleasant, it was only cold as fuck for 2 weeks this whole winter and has mostly been hovering around 0 degrees lol

[@domingonavarro1288]

Miami has 3X’s the population….

[@maoschanz4665]

@@domingonavarro1288do you understand what "rate per 100k population" means?

[@gabrielgarcia7554]

@maoschanz4665 Expecting people from Miami to understand anything is a tall ask tbh.

[@sexygeek8996]

Miami can always fall back on "we have better weather".

[@themanyouwanttobe]

"Stop criticizing Miami!" "Well, now we're going to criticize harder."

[@achen131]

Based tbh

[@micosstar]

@@achen131seriously, to crticize means to exercise free speech!

[@ecurewitz]

They deserve being criticized

[@ecurewitz]

@@micosstarthey don’t like that type of free speech, they like the hate speech and disinformation

[@PendulumCancel]

It is ironic because I've seen people from other states calling NYC drivers the worst drivers in the country despite statistics showing the complete opposite. Extreme polarization is the worst. At some point you lose the ability to even understand basic numbers in adulthood which is something we all learn about as early as grade school.

[@denali637]

The "safety=crime statistics" paradigm is infuriating.

[@gamewarrior010]

Unfortunately, crime is something that is very connected to Miami in popular culture. And we have shows like Miami Vice to thank for that.

[@AbstractEntityJ]

It's partly because people have the idea that crime is something outside of their control, while getting in a car accident (whether as a driver or as a pedestrian) is somehow entirely within their control.

[@sven_ftw]

There was a person who replied in a public setting recently in my area to a proposed protected bike lane installation saying the city needed to worry about crime, not "recreational cyclists". That road had 4 traffic-related deaths on it in the most recent couple of years. The ward it was in had ZERO homicides in that same time period. /facepalm.

[@baddriversofcolga]

Especially since violent crimes are very much tied to who you associate with. Traffic safety applies to anyone who goes anywhere.

[@olska9498]

@@baddriversofcolga And children die much more often in traffic accidents than by homicides. But the self-proclaimed children protectors suddenly don't care about child safety all of a sudden...

[@TommyJonesProductions]

Hey! SUVs may be dangerous, get poor gas mileage, have horrible handling, and poor visibility, but at least they look stupid!

[@AbstractEntityJ]

Plus their size makes them impractical anywhere with narrow streets, and they're difficult to park in many places for that reason.

[@TommyJonesProductions]

@@AbstractEntityJ - We call them "normal sized streets" here. The extra wide lanes out in the suburbs make for ridiculously wide intersections.

[@tommyshanks4198]

Huh? I get 4l/100km on mine. Handles similar to a sedan. Visibility is alright, especially with the backup and fwd camera. What century SUV are you talking about?

[@juliansmith4295]

@@tommyshanks4198 What on Earth is a forward camera for?

[@FrostyShadowYT]

@@tommyshanks4198 the fact that you need a forward facing camera already shows that the car is poorly designed. A driver should be able to see what's in front of their car without a camera.

[@BenriBea]

"My convenience and comfort is more important than your life" should be the US' slogan at this point

[@theuncalledfor]

Except the car-centric world of North America is neither convenient nor comfortable. There is literally no reason, NONE, to oppose better transit and walkability. Having viable alternatives to driving _makes driving better for drivers._ Less cars on the road requires less extreme intersections to cope with all that traffic makes driving more relaxed and comfortable and you get to your destination faster and more safely. Any opposition to better transit and walkability comes purely from a position of arrogant, wilful ignorance, an unwillingness to learn and change one's position under any circumstances. So here's my proposal for a new slogan: "My ignorance and delusions are more important than my own life."

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

*most of the country, not all. Generalising an entire nation is incredibly ignorant and something only NJB and his equally obnoxious fanboys do.

[@toasterowens8916]

@@crowmob-yo6ry feel like its his fans that do that more than him

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

EXACTLY!@@theuncalledfor

[@gregorybiestek3431]

For everyone's information - In January 2024 the city of Eastpointe, Michigan proposed a road diet to make a five lane highway (2 in each direction plus a turn lane) into a three lane road. Approximately 75% of the populace, INCLUDING almost all the millennials & gen z attacked this plan. There were protests, threats of legal actions by businesses and letters & emails to the state highway dept. Finally on March 19, 2024 the city relented and voted to reverse its plans and will now sign a contract by March 31, 2024 to merely repair the five lane highway to keep it as it is. Most of the people who forced this reversal are people of color and young working class families. It seems they like things the way they are.

[@jamalgibson8139]

As an engineer, this one is particularly depressing. Remember, roads in the US are designed to specific standards. Imagine if we had an electrical code that set standards for electrical products in the US that just randomly electrocuted 40k people per year. How absurd would that be? Even worse if those electrical products were the leading cause of death for children for decades! This is my main reason as to why this argument is indefensible, because our engineering codes explicitly allow this to happen. If we want to change our roads, we have to change our codes.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

No, they're not. Federal highways have standards, but local road standards are at the state level or lower. Often the issue is developers & local government collusion approving construction that is too high density for the available infrastructure. I live in Florida, and a road that was 2 lanes when I was growing up in the 90s is now six lanes. A drive that took 15 minutes in 1994 might take an hour today.

[@jamalgibson8139]

@@PsRohrbaugh I'm not sure what you're talking about. All roads are designed to standards, and in the US that standard is (almost always) the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The problem is that this standard was written in the 50s mostly for highway construction but has been adopted by state and local agencies, often by law, for all road construction. So we have highway sized roads running through residential areas, or stroads running through retail centers. You're not wrong about local government working against making improvements, though. It's not so much that they approve development that's too dense; it's that they view everything from a lense of car dependency, and see road widening as the only tool to improve transportation access. This isn't helped by the general public also lacking understanding and awareness of the issues with car dependence, but that's why it's important to educate folks on the issues.

[@Arjay404]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="399">6:39</a> "Driving is freedom" I would agree with this under a very big caveat, it's true IF it's a OPTION. Personally, this is the one thing I hate the most about this whole thing, even more then the roads being too big, speeds too high, cars too big, it being more dangerous, etcetc. Just the fact that for most people in the US in order to simply have a chance to thrive, you HAVE to drive a car. Cars are amazing, but being REQUIRED to get into a car and drive just to buy bread is insane.

[@Pystro]

Like that line in a song in "Team America: World Police" says: "Freedom is the only choice".

[@malonea27]

The "driving is freedom" statement resonates with me too, but so does "biking is freedom", or "frequent public transit is freedom". Freedom is just the ability to get wherever you want to go, and not be constrained to a small set of choices on how/when you can get there. Biking gives you that on a small scale in a city which supports it, and frequent trains between cities gives you that over longer distances. Driving isn't the only source of "freedom".

[@ianhomerpura8937]

​​@@malonea27 when I mention "more options mean more freedom", the very next thing they mention is "I don't want my taxes wasted on unprofitable public transit" and other similar shit. Like why? I don't get why they feel the need to push that everything be profitable.

[@delftfietser]

Gravity makes dance possible because you are pulled into the floor. No gravity, no floor contact, no dance. Doing without gravity is not an option. The lack of that choice makes the freedom of dance possible. Constraints, whether chosen or not, do make freedoms possible.

[@alfredsaalo1441]

​​​@@ianhomerpura8937True, and in what way do they think owning a car is profitable? Unless you rent it to someone it will always cost you money. Transportation is needed for a society to function and public transit ans biking is often the most cost effective option. Especially if you account for negative externalities. It's not like a city's transportation costs dissapear if it is payed by individuals

[@moosesandmeese969]

One of the most shocking things I found going through the statistics is that the US has a higher rate of drunk driving deaths and a higher percentage of crashes that are due to drunk driving than in *Russia*

[@HallsofAsgard96]

THAT'S INSANE!! 🤯 Did u find out why? I thought Russian babies had vodka in Thier formula?? (sarcasm)

[@kailahmann1823]

@@HallsofAsgard96maybe because of that, Russians are used to do things while drunk ;) Still, a country with potholes large enough to swallow a pickup, cars which had their last inspection 30 years ago, drunk driving being the norm and basically no law enforcement does better than "gods own country"… Oh, and wearing a seat belt in Russia is seen as an insult to the driver.

[@quackywhackityphillyb.3005]

You know there is more to russia than vodka and spys, right?? Not to mention they have some very advanced transit systems

[@conorreynolds9739]

Not to absolve the US (I had an uncle killed by a drunk driver), but I don’t really trust any data coming out of that country.

[@MrAronymous]

I would say Russia is mostly less car dependant as a whole than the US. Most people there live in cities in the typical "commieblocks" style (denser than US suburbs) that have supermarkets and bars at walking distance. During day time there is also public transit available. There really is no reason to drink and drive there. Bars located in an environment that require you to drive there fulfill a self-defeating purpose and somehow only make sense in America.

[@rabbbirumba2397]

As someone who lives in Miami (Part of the year at least) your previous video definitely nailed it. I don’t think any of the Miami residents who criticized you actually walk or bike in the city. As someone who does both I can confirm it’s a pretty crappy experience. Even by North American standards.

[@yogtheterrible]

The really stupid thing of people defending pedestrians is EVERYONE IS A PEDESTRIAN. It doesn't matter who you are, if you leave your house at some point in your day you are walking to or from your car and a building.

[@littlesnarf]

Yeah. The hostility towards pedestrians is super weird. I think about this a lot. It's like... dude, you are me.

[@Armor23OnPatrol]

*proceeds to build roads inside buildings to eliminate the pedestrian cause*

[@cyclingzen]

It's beyond frustrating to see people thinking autonomous vehicles are the silver bullet for pedestrian safety. Why are we not focusing on improving public transportation and road infrastructure, which are proven solutions to make streets safer for everyone? Betting everything on tech that's still in its infancy over practical, tangible improvements is just mind-boggling. Especially when autonomous vehicles will have their own safety problems!!

[@lonestarr1490]

I work in software testing and we're currently involved in ongoing research programs regarding pedestrian recognition (through AI, of course). We're basically trying to come up with a paradigm about how to tell if you've tested the software "thoroughly enough" (which is a necessary measure for certifications and such). It's already clear that 100% certainty is unachievable. Even if you just focus on preventing false negatives, you basically have no way of testing every circumstance that might occur. And this is only about pedestrians so far. No cyclists or motorcyclists. That's why I predict: should autonomous vehicles actually become a widespread means of transportation, they will kill people. Probably less than die nowadays. In some areas even a lot less, I can imagine. But we won't see traffic fatalities going away completely in our lifetimes.

[@1981menso]

@@lonestarr1490 Autonomous cars WON"T serve the poor. We already see this with Uber not going into "bad" neighborhoods. Just another way to keep the poor in their place.

[@scruf153]

the politicians have invvested there money in the stock market

[@denelson83]

Because capitalism opposes public transportation, and capitalism has *way* too much power in this world.

[@jordanrodrigues1279]

Remember where the data comes from - "autonomous driving" means a robot that learned how to recognize baby strollers by pop-quizzing people whose focus was on "dang it, just let me log in!"

[@gamewarrior010]

As someone from Miami who has driven in a lot of places, Miami has some of the most aggressive drivers I’ve ever encountered this combined with the fact that the city is so car dependent that a lot of people who have any option but to use cars don’t have a drivers license or insurance.

[@Redrally]

That's terrifying

[@sven_ftw]

Florida as a whole.. drivers speed SO FAST. And lots of sports cars and large SUVs too.

[@scruf153]

that is the problem too many people driving most people drive only 3 to 5 miles a day I cycle more than that and I am 48 living in Alabama

[@denelson83]

​@@sven_ftwIf only speed limits could be enforced by EMP. You drive too fast, your vehicle gets permanently disabled, which results in at least a five-figure financial penalty.

[@Fenthule]

I won a cruise trip some years ago and had to fly to Ft Lauderdale to get on the boat. Our planes had issues so we missed the connecting flight and came in the morning we had to board rather than the night prior, and thus the driver was instructed to speed. OH MY GOD. My dad and I were white knuckling our seats the entire time, along with everyone else on board. This dude was driving like a maniac, but what was worse, was that we weren't the only ones. There was 2 other busses and several cars all basically doing what could best be described as impromptu Fast and Furious races down the freeway. It was absolutely insane. Upon getting back home from that trip both of us decided we weren't going to travel to Florida ever again. I've since extended that to the US as a whole.

[@christinevigeland5196]

This video is great. As an American, I'm ashamed by the fact that Americans seem to think of traffic deaths as an inevitable part of life. If a pedestrian or cyclist is killed by a car, they are usually blamed for using the road without a car.

[@nwash0080110]

I’m from Miami, I grew up in South Miami and went to highschool in Kendall. I never had a car and my parents couldn’t drive me around all the time so that meant I had to walk, bike or try to take public transit to get around as a kid. I grew up just assuming that car centrism was the standard and kind of took pride in getting around despite how difficult it was without a car. Then I moved to DC for college and realized how incredibly unfair and isolating car centric infrastructure really is. This video was really vindicating

[@frankhammond9909]

Nice, actually I was nearly the exact same. Grew up in South Miami and Pinecrest and went to highschool downtown, and never drove. I even went to FIU for a semester taking the city bus. Once I left Miami for college it became much easier to be without a car, and even to this day I barely drive and get around just fine. It's doable down there if you are mostly along the coast, and have some good luck and amazing cat like reflexes.

[@neiljohnson6815]

"car centric". the new leftist buzz word.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

@@neiljohnson6815people on both sides are increasingly realising the dangers of car dependence. It's not a "left vs. right" political issue; it's good vs. bad planning/policy. Politicising the issue is incredibly ignorant and needs to stop.

[@sophanphin4199]

I live in Boston but work in Miami (actually Coral Gables) so I'm there quite oftn. As someone who spends a lot of time in the major cities in the Northeast (NYC, Boston, Philly but also Toronto and Montreal). I can say without a doubt, Miami is the scariest to walk and bike in. Its not just the larger vehicles but also the mixing of high speed roads and smaller residential streets. You can be biking or walking on a quiet residential street (often with no sidewalk) then suddenly find yourself needing to cross a busy 5-lane road with cars reaching near highway speeds.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*MY ENTIRE EUROPEAN COUNTRY HAD 468* traffic fatalities last year - and the newspapers are complaining that that is way higher than the EU average per capita 73 per 1 million Miami Dade County is 163 per 1 million and we are THE WORST in Europe - the average is 46 per 1 mill and the lowest is Norway with 21 per 1 mill

[@pettahify]

This ☝️👆

[@chrisbartolini1508]

What’s the rate of car ownership?

[@vask3863]

@@chrisbartolini1508 Car ownership is very high in Europe. Each family has at least one car. But it's less used, when you have better alternatives to choose from (public transportation, bicycles, etc.).

[@chrisbartolini1508]

@@vask3863 i mean thank god for that, because as bad as we are, European drivers are by far worse. Traffic deaths would be borderline apocalyptic if they had our cities.

[@stephenlee5929]

@@chrisbartolini1508 I'm not sure what this question is trying to get at. I people don't own cars, they still get around, go to work, shop, etc... Are you suggesting owning a car is inherently dangerous?

[@maoschanz4665]

people from the FREEDOM OF SPEECH country will gladly explain that you shouldn't be allowed to have a negative opinion on the places you visit as a tourist. The world cup will be wild

[@carloszenteno]

Wild? Boring. The last one there was boring. Police do not let the fans party anywhere and disperse any gatherings of more than 10 people. Very boring world cup.

[@michaelk.jensen1611]

It isnt really a super negative comment about its entirety, its about a specific thing, which they are very interested in and they made some friendly notes we all could use and take into account. Yeah i get defensive too, but i still try to listen and not take it as a bad thing, why not taking it as a caring thing? Thats how i read it.

[@HorzaPanda]

Cars make you free in the same way that turbotax makes doing taxes easy :P

[@HorzaPanda]

Also not surprised Jacksonville is No 4 😭

[@smitajky]

Cars make you free in the same way that guns make you safe. Or that world trade makes everyone richer.

[@Poptartsicles]

To all the skeptics who are anti-pedestrian and anti-public transport. The great thing about pedestrian friendly and public transport friendly cities is they're still car friendly too. They're safer for you to drive in, there's less traffic, and the places you do need to drive to aren't as far away. It's a win win scenario for literally everyone.

[@chrismoule7242]

This...

[@denverspin]

Yes. But the auto manufacturers and oil companies don’t believe so. And they pull the strings. $$$$$

[@YourCanadianGuide]

I get that people don't want someone to show up and criticize them from their high horse, it makes sense. However, if your city has poorly designed infrastructure that's flat out more dangerous, sometimes you need someone to point it out and get the conversation moving. Especially if you are speaking out in behalf of marginalized people in their community (poor people who walk/rely on public transit/don't have $80k for a RAM pickup that never towes anything).

[@TomPVideo]

I welcome outsiders being critical of my city. It's with everything that you do: sometimes you get so caught up in your way of doing things that you never consider an oftentimes minor change that could result in a major improvement.

[@bloodycrepe]

The irony is both Montreal and Toronto that get praised by this channel are terribly designed cities. Both have absolutely horrendous public transit and very poor drivers. Montreal was the worst city I've visited when it comes to drivers. Careless, aggressive and zero concern with pedestrian safety. So the high horse is actually a donkey.

[@mindstalk]

@@bloodycrepe They're great compared to most US cities, and however you measure driver quality, they kill a lot fewer people than US drivers.

[@bloodycrepe]

@@mindstalk I couldn't disagree more. They are overrated, ran by incompetent branches of government that do not communicate to each other, incoherent with fundamental issues that this channel conveniently skimps over. I lived in GTA for over 20 years. It's funny how people that visited it as tourists try to tell me how "great" it is.

[@mindstalk]

@@bloodycrepe You seem to be having trouble grasping "compared to most US cities".

[@theuncalledfor]

>video: respectful, rational criticism of unsafe road designs >response: "OH MY GOD YOUR SUCH KARENZ!!!11!!1" A Karen is a selfish and entitled individual that makes unreasonable demands and makes a scene at the slightest perceived provocation. Karens are known for hypocrisy, where reasonable criticisms against them are seen as severe personal insults, a failure to meet their unreasonable demands is viewed as a crime, and any similar behaviour from others, who are not the Karen's personal friend or valued family member, is met with dismissal at best and unbridled rage at worst. Calling others "Karens" to shut down legitimate criticism seems consistent with Karen behaviour patterns.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

For your information - In January 2024 the city of Eastpointe, Michigan proposed a road diet to make a five lane highway (2 in each direction plus a turn lane) into a three lane road. Approximately 75% of the populace, INCLUDING almost all the millennials & gen z attacked this plan. There were protests, threats of legal actions by businesses and letters & emails to the state highway dept. Finally on March 19, 2024 the city relented and voted to reverse its plans and will now sign a contract by March 31, 2024 to merely repair the five lane highway to keep it as it is. Most of the people who forced this reversal are people of color and young working class families. It seems they like things the way they are.

[@gabrieldomocos7570]

But Charlie Kirk already explained that 50k road fatalities per year is the price of freedom, and all Americans agree. Also, transit makes you trans, it's in the name, and trains also make you trans but they added a letter to confuse children

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Sounds like something Kirk would say. He once said any man who rides a Lime e-scooter is automatically a vegan soyboy beta male.

[@Alina_Schmidt]

Like we needed another reason for more public transit and trakns 🏳️‍⚧️✨😉

[@josephcarreon2341]

You cannot reason a person out of a position that they did not reason themselves into. The people making those comments were not only born into the car-centric lifestyle, but they have never had to, nor do they ever want to, question their own beliefs. It's an unfortunate truth. Don't waste your time replying to any comments like that. Use that energy to instead go out to your next local city meeting or start/join your local strong towns community. We have the numbers to turn this around. We just need you all to be more involved. The change for progress is right at our fingertips!

[@dudeguy2330]

The purpose of public arguments isn't to convince your opponent. It's to convince the gallery. Videos like this probably won't change the minds of people too entrenched in their delusions to recognize the objective harm Miami's car culture causes, but they will change the minds of people who are vaguely aware that there might be a problem and just never considered the full statistical reality of it, or who are kind of on the fence and thought the critics had good points. Even if car-brain cannot be reasoned with, it should be challenged whenever the opportunity presents itself, because letting it go unchallenged allows it to spread, while challenging it helps to build the political will to make the changes that need to be made.

[@josephcarreon2341]

@@dudeguy2330 Way to miss my point entirely. 🤣 I never once said videos like this weren't necessary. My comment wasn't even towards any urban youtuber. It was for the people watching. Public arguments are NOT youtube comments as that would mean both sides would need to remain civil, which is a rarity in youtube comments between people of extreme opposite beliefs. And when did I say to let it go unchallenged? I'm actively telling people to be more active in local voting/involvement to which is challenging the car-centric believers to the utmost. You very clearly did not understand what I was saying and came off extremely pretentious. Do better with your responses.

[@gregorybiestek3431]

@@josephcarreon2341 For your information - In January 2024 the city of Eastpointe, Michigan proposed a road diet to make a five lane highway (2 in each direction plus a turn lane) into a three lane road. Approximately 75% of the populace, INCLUDING almost all the millennials & gen z attacked this plan. There were protests, threats of legal actions by businesses and letters & emails to the state highway dept. Finally on March 19, 2024 the city relented and voted to reverse its plans and will now sign a contract by March 31, 2024 to merely repair the five lane highway to keep it as it is. Most of the people who forced this reversal are people of color and young working class families. It seems they like things the way they are.

[@chelseashurmantine8153]

I get frustrated moving to a new city and feeling like I’m not allowed to complain about how insanely dangerous the roads are. Like why the eff don’t we have sidewalks in this town? How blind and untraveled do you have to be to not notice that? Like how am I the weird one for wanting better? It doesn’t have to be this way

[@gregorybiestek3431]

For your information - In January 2024 the city of Eastpointe, Michigan proposed a road diet to make a five lane highway (2 in each direction plus a turn lane) into a three lane road. Approximately 75% of the populace, INCLUDING almost all the millennials & gen z attacked this plan. There were protests, threats of legal actions by businesses and letters & emails to the state highway dept. Finally on March 19, 2024 the city relented and voted to reverse its plans and will now sign a contract by March 31, 2024 to merely repair the five lane highway to keep it as it is. Most of the people who forced this reversal are people of color and young working class families. It seems they like things the way they are.

[@nwsportstilidie]

@@gregorybiestek3431 I find that hard to believe given some of the millennials and gen z I have encountered.

[@HallsofAsgard96]

This was the video i was waiting for from CityNerd. He showed in one of his videos that the traffic fatality rates were worse here in the US compared to our northern neighbours. Thanks guys

[@nickwannn]

this is actually a great Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings moment but obviously opponents wouldn't hear it that way because it might actually challenge their notions

[@michaelk.jensen1611]

That has always seemed an excuse to just ram things through, whether your point of view was based in facts or not, why not just see it as kindness and caring. If your kind and caring(not related to this specific topic, but in general), you will try and tell people if you think you need to talk about it, also something about talking with people not to them, if you do that and people can see you care there is also a good and better chance that it affects them and they take some of it in. Facts actually do care about our feelings, and its has always to me been something of a VERY arrogant stance, were you extremely cock sure that your idea or what you are saying is just so clearly right, even if you are right, such an attitude is untrustworthy , so people have to be wary if they have that approach, this makes the decision and the account of it more difficult, because now you have to navigate and evaluate their intent besides the information.

[@theaveragejoe5781]

Its a bit unfair tho to compare the US to Canada and EU given that the US is a developing country

[@drakewalters2618]

We all got cars at the same time. We all began road construction in the 50’s. We all began developing road networks At The Same Time. We went with massive stroads, highways, Euclidean zoning because we had an abundance of space to waste. other places in Europe like the Netherlands focused on building pedestrian based infrastructure. Our infrastructure is unsustainable financially. We can’t afford the amount of wear and tear on our current roads much less construction and maintenance of MORE roads.

[@theaveragejoe5781]

@drakewalters2618 would love to see a video on fair cost comparison of suburb vs city, public transit vs car. It's not simple tho, I understand

[@helpanimals-]

haha love this. Yes, Let's tell Americans their country is still developing and see their reaction. They're like any poor country

[@LouisChang-le7xo]

what do you mean the us is the RICHEST COUNTRY ON THE EARTH. Also miami is only ONE CITY, there are plenty of decent big cities in this country, especially in the northeast (philly, nyc, boston, dc, etc)

[@nahuiollin6962]

​@@LouisChang-le7xo lol learn to read sarcasm 😂

[@ShadLife]

I live in Minneapolis. We are just shy of 1/2 million, but we have a large metro area because of Saint Paul and the surrounding suburbs. What is interesting is being a cyclist here, riding in Minneapolis or Saint Paul is pretty decent and vehicle traffic tends to respect you more, slow down, and give you space. But the moment you cross a border into one of the much more car centric suburbs, suddenly the roads are much less friendly to cyclists and pedestrians. Even the drivers will buzz closer to you, intentionally. They will oftentimes honk at you even though you have a legal right to be in the road. And most of these people are driving bigger vehicles like pickup trucks or larger SUVs. There is definitely an attitude shift as you get out into most suburbs. Some first ring suburbs like Saint Louis Park and Richfield are more bike and pedestrian friendly. But a wealthier suburb just South of Saint Louis Park called Edina is a whole different story. Those drivers are elitists, not only to cyclists and pedestrians, but other drivers also. It's clear to me the culture has a lot more to do with this. Sure, road design can help, but when people feel so privileged in their vehicle and don't stop for a school loading kids, that's an issue!!

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

As a Twin Cities resident I can cosign all of this, except Edina being north of St. Louis Park

[@ShadLife]

@@rosemarymcbride3419 Ah... South...oops. I can fix that.

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

I agree with you ShadLife. I used to live in the burbs of Mpls on the North West side. There were many stroads that I could not cycle on. In Los Angeles it is much worse.

[@lizcademy4809]

Agreed. I live just in the Lowry Hill area, and have no need for a car in daily life - so I no longer own one. Everything works well normally, the drivers respect non-drivers, mostly. A few times a year, I go shopping in Edina. Bus to Southdale, then lots of walking. The streets I have to cross are very stroad-like, drivers speed all the time. I'm very careful, use lights and beg buttons, get the driver's eye before I cross, and wave "thanks!" as I'm crossing. No problems so far, but after having been a driver myself for 40+ years, I can usually anticipate the high risk drivers. For anyone doing this, there's a lovely walk/bike path south from the Galleria, past the backs of many "medium box" stores. Only a couple streets to cross, no parking lots.

[@ShadLife]

@@lizcademy4809 The path from Centennial Lakes? It's short, but super nice. It also goes east towards the park with the YMCA in it. If you go west it leads to the nice 9 mile creek trail. Not really great commuter routes, but nice to recreate on.

[@MrCyclist]

Toronto here. I spend two months in the winter in Apopka just north of Orlando. As a cyclist and part time car driver it is a pleasure to do both. I refuse to even drive much less bike south of Jupiter. West Palm Beach and further south is to be avoided. It is insane and super stressful. The reason for the high fatalities. Keep pointing out these insane places so everybody knows where to avoid.

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

If you haven't yet, you should show how pedestrian deaths had gone down significantly since the 90s, but then suddenly went back up again, correlating with the increase in SUVs and pick-ups.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

The idea that mass and speed can kill is apparently a well kept secret.

[@Sythemn]

Supposedly this entirely boils down to their looks, AKA, high hoods. There was some paper that showed that cars are already so heavy that the weight difference doesn't really matter. But getting smacked by a wall was an order of magnitude worse than falling on a hood. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6HYiWBrepyrpbc

[@prophetzarquon1922]

Yeah, even minivans manage to kill far fewer pedestrians per collision, despite being plenty heavy; it really is the high hoods

[@aralornwolf3140]

@@bramvanduijn8086, Not everyone needs to take high school physics to get a high school diploma.

[@nispelsm]

@@prophetzarquon1922 And the high bumpers, causing more pedestrians to end up going under the vehicle and getting run over, rather than knocked forward onto the pavement. In addition, those high-clearance pickups and SUVs are much more likely to "ramp" over a smaller vehicle and land on top of it, caving in the windshield and/or roof of the passenger compartment.

[@user-wo1eg1wd1z]

What’s crazy is that Florida…which has so many of the most dangerous cities…is a place where it’s flat and never snows…so bike and transit infrastructure should be trivial

[@Zalis116]

Florida's terrain is a double-edged sword -- you can't build tunnels or underpasses there, because of the high water table.

[@matthewshultz8762]

Same thing with Southern California. Some of the best climate in the country and it has been turned into a parking lot!

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Guns for Greens. Using guns against SUVs and oversized pickup trucks killing people and taking away cyclists' freedom would be a JUSTIFIED use of guns. This is NOT some stupid cause like antivaxxers complaining about vaccines saving millions of lives or anti-immigrant fascists complaining about migrants doing business and building a better life for themselves.

[@KevinHawkshaw]

trivial and even easier to justify. no arguments about the infrastructure not getting used half the year in winter.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Yet some people claim Florida is perfectly safe because they're blinded by politics.

[@Kattbirb]

Oh, Miami-Dade county gets worse. 358 car related deaths was fine, but a small town there having one ebike related death was enough to ban electric bikes and scooters from the whole town. The town of Key Biscayne if anyone is interested.

[@fallenshallrise]

Don't get me started. A hundred years of cars and motorcycles being able to exceed 100 MPH and it's just ignored but as soon as an ebike goes over 25 everyone starts freaking out.

[@Kattbirb]

@@fallenshallrise Yeah, seriously. I'm going to register my next ebike as a moped just to get in front of that madness. As well as shutting up the folks complaining about not paying taxes.

[@richardpetty9159]

Legal and illegal are only loosely related to right and wrong.

[@Kattbirb]

@@richardpetty9159 Very loosely.

[@xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

As a comparison to actual Europe, Sweden has about 200 traffic fatalities per year. With a population of 10.5 million. And to the naysayers out there: No, this is not because Sweden is rural. Actually, the great majority of Swedish fatalities happen where it gets rural. Dense urban environments, like Miami-Dade, are the safest environments in Sweden. Sadly, not everything is perfect in Sweden. Traffic fatalities have greatly come down in recent years for motorists. But sadly not for bicyclists and pedestrians. Nearly all of Sweden's efforts at curbing traffic fatalities have been targeted at reducing motorist fatalities. Some of those measures, like traffic calming, also benefit pedestrians, but that is mostly an afterthought, not a result of active choice.

[@linuxman7777]

The safest roads are divided highways. Stroads and Rural undivided roads are the most dangerous.

[@_SpamMe]

This might be controversial to say, but "traffic deaths" also aren't just a linear number where less is always better. Your numbers might go up due to fundamentally good things - like the Dutch having more deaths on bicycles because of their excellent bicycle infrastructure, and thus more people using it, and among them more old and vulnerable people, where a fall more easily is deadly. Obviously the goal at the end should be 0 deaths, as far as that is possible, but if you get "some" deaths, there's a huge difference of those being because people are out and about and getting into accidents as opposed to getting them from avoidable stupid road design that still confines everyone else to their homes and into cars.

[@GordonSlamsay]

I was so impressed in Sweden (though I only visited Stockholm and some of the surrounding area) low speed limits, drivers respected pedestrians no road salt, and all that gravel didn't track into buildings.

[@edj4833]

Just let that sink in. 348 traffic fatalities in Miami Dade alone, more than the whole of Sweden, an actual county of 10 million.

[@linuxman7777]

@@edj4833 some counties in the US are quite large, the county I live in has 1 million people. LA county has almost as many people as Sweden.

[@tay-lore]

I really appreciate you including mental health as a factor for some people who don't drive.

[@Nouvellecosse]

The "Karens" comment is particularly hilarious. A Karen is someone who is pushy and overbearing in a public setting in order to get their own way. I've never heard of someone discussing the pros and cons of their travel experiences as Karens. 😆

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

You just described the correct definition of "Karen". Way too many people incorrectly use the term as a political slur.

[@icanhazADHD]

Incredible that Boston is the #2 safest city in the USA. As a pedestrian, cyclist, and driver in Boston, it's honestly scary being on the road sometimes. I didn't realize it was THAT MUCH WORSE in other parts of the country! I guess I should feel lucky?

[@Alina_Schmidt]

When I found out my city was the worst to cycle in my state, I was a bit relieved. Happy that everyone else was better off 😆

[@mindstalk]

It'd be interesting to compare "number of crashes" to "number of deaths". You can have more collisions that don't kill people, if the cars aren't going very fast. And "not going very fast" describes a lot of Boston. :p But yeah, also just fewer and shorter trips than a place like Miami or Dallas.

[@JonathanCLacy]

As a resident of South Florida I need to say THANK YOU for this video!!!

[@dennisy2599]

The arguments in this video are unbeatable! Keep up the good work guys!!

[@everythinggame5]

Too many people are dissing public transit for its crime when driving has similar or worse safety and you can really only do so much to make roads safe when you are a car centric city but with crime there are ways to reduce it a lot.

[@LouisChang-le7xo]

they say they dont want to ride public transit with crimminals and homeless and the poor when they lobby against anything that will actually solve the problem (aka public transit and affordable housing)

[@MrBirdnose]

On the other hand, the National Guard doesn't have to be deployed to protect me when I drive...

[@thisismarkbro]

@@MrBirdnose what would the national guard do if they were deployed to protect you drive ?

[@kailahmann1823]

@@thisismarkbrosend half the population to jail for reckless driving *fg*

[@Kresimir_]

@@MrBirdnose Even if you were on the NYC subway the same day as that incident occurred, your chances of injury were still lower than driving.

[@RipCityBassWorks]

The US has badly needed federal regulations on vehicle size and hood shape for years now. Our dysfunctional system of government is contributing to this.

[@RoCK3rAD]

Freedom to drive anything you want except a Japanese kei truck. The beauty of the us is you can do just about anything you want with your money.

[@Gary_C]

Dangerous drivers think: If I kill a pedestrian or bicyclist they'll just sue the city, my employer, or my insurance company. Can you even go to prison for disregarding like a crosswalk or bike lane and killing someone? A pedestrian and a cyclist died recently in my (small) city and I didn't hear anything in the news about anyone even being in trouble. That's the part that's a little insane to me.

[@matthewshultz8762]

'No-fault accident' at worst, involuntary manslaughter at best. Even when the pedestrian/cyclist is completely within their govt approved crossing/lane you can't fight for yourself in court if you're fucking dead. Just 'oops another traffic accident'

[@LightsOnMultiMediaMindArts]

Numbers don't lie. Keep up the excellent reporting. Momentum is building for a change in how we transport ourselves and the answer is NOT more roads, more lanes and faster speeds.

[@marcinanforowicz8319]

Thank you for the informative videos. I like how you maintain an academic and respectful demeanor, even when discussing very emotional issues. Thanks for including charts, data, and satellite imagery. That's much more helpful than stock footage. Keep up the great work!

[@enchantedbananas]

"driving is freedom and convenience" is such doublespeak

[@smitajky]

As a cyclist and a pedestrian when I visit the USA I notice how everyone driving makes it so convenient for me.

[@railroadforest30]

Yeah it can be more convenient especially in the country to drive but there are a lot of downsides especially in a urban area true freedom would be the ability to chose car or train/walking

[@risu6894]

It really would be if it wasn't for horrible infrastructure design and commuters

[@ericelfner]

Rock on!! Those death rates are painful and difficult to internalize. Keep up the incredible work.

[@rosemarymcbride3419]

Minneapolis and by extension St. Paul always occupy a strange space in statistical comparison because unlike many other cities with similar histories they did not engage in annexations of suburbs and bedroom communities to the extent that other cities west of the Mississippi (although both cities do straddle the river). This results in Minneapolis and St. Paul being fairly far down on the list of most populous American cities when at the same time they're part of the 16th largest metro in the country.

[@Arjay404]

I'm surprised that New York is so safe. Probably has a lot to do with cars only being able to drive like 10mph because of how congested the roads are.

[@Newbyte]

Would line up with how traffic deaths went up during Covid-19 in the US overall due to less congested (st)roads.

[@TommyJonesProductions]

It actually has more to do with the fact that you don't HAVE to drive anywhere in NYC because there is adequate public transit and bike lanes.

[@HallsofAsgard96]

​@@TommyJonesProductions It's funny because both of those reasons feed into each other. Because there's so much traffic it encourages people to use transit,walk and bike

[@TommyJonesProductions]

@@HallsofAsgard96 - It's a shame that same mentality doesn't take hold in places like Atlanta and Los Angeles, both which have more traffic and shoddy public transit.

[@seaotter42]

Hard to get hit by a car when you're riding the subway... The percentage of people leveraging transit seems to be a huge indicator for the U.S. numbers... doesn't explain as much the difference between NYC and the Canadian cities though.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

You should host a debate against John Phillips from 790 KABC! He's the ultimate car-addicted suburbanite NIMBY, and literally celebrates the deaths of pedestrians. P.S.: notice the totally biased news headlines: "Pedestrian dies after collision with vehicle" Vs. "Drunk driver kills two other motorists"

[@S_Roach]

Some people will never be able to get rid of a car, because some people will always live some distance from everything. However, living in a city should at LEAST offer you the freedom of NOT NEEDING a car.

[@rederic2004]

I drove in Miami once, about five years ago, and was astonished at the aggression and disregard for traffic rules there. I'm surprised the fatality figures are not higher than they are. Safer traffic infrastructure is worthless if it's simply ignored and rules not enforced.

[@pex3]

Disturbing Death Disparity Data Drivers Dispense

[@cloudyskies5497]

My hometown is OKC, one of the cities mentioned as near the top with speed & fatalities. When I was four, we were in a car wreck that nearly killed my brother. Our family van was t-boned. That is a my first memory of being alive. I had to learn to walk again due to injuries & I had to go into childhood trauma therapy because I was having PTSD symptoms. Even as an adult, if a loud crash/bang/boom catches me off guard, my brain can still flash back to the carnage.

[@hairypotter259]

Weird for them to be mad that people are calling out that cars kill people?

[@thomasthuene3173]

probably the best video you have made so far. kudos

[@jonathanstensberg]

Step 1 is recognizing you have a problem.

[@lucagattoni-celli1377]

Highlighting injuries and the analogy to crime is incredibly powerful.

[@frmcf]

For comparison, Barcelona has about 20-25 fatalities from road traffic accidents in a year.

[@SL420-]

American here, one huge problem that you guys partially address but likely skirt because it isn't data-driven is the dehumanization and anonymization that driving creates. Why should you care if the way you put others at risk or makes them uncomfortable? That's just another beamer or Honda. Why should you care about pedestrians? Kill or maim one and there's at least a 50/50 chance that you can get away if nobody has the mental acuity to try to get your plate number (which is becoming more and more difficult as [ILLEGAL] plate covers become more common). I have to be here until I can retire but one of my most heavily weighted considerations when it comes to where to retire is walkability.

[@enjoystraveling]

I agree with you. Drivers can definitely easily be anonymous.

[@pinoygal6232]

You guys should do a video on Honolulu Hawaii, It's terrible for pedestrians and cyclists.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

Which is why I don't get why crazy politicians like Cayetano have opposed building the railways for decades.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Unfortunately we've never been there, but if you know of an organization that wants to sponsor a trip, we'd be happy to go!

[@MrAronymous]

As a European who only used to know the bare minimum about Hawaii that we saw in media; waves, surfing, beaches, tiki, houses on stilts, vulcanos.. seeing images of what Honolulu was actually like for the first time was truly disppointing. They had an island that is described as paradise and made it into your average US car-overloaded suburb with stroads and strip malls. Insanity.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

I blame the evil tyrant Pavos Prevedorous.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

@@crowmob-yo6ry I don't get why he was that motivated to push against any type of railway in Hawaii back then

[@kylerogers9965]

going out on a limb here, but one way you might be able to quantify "driving culture" is the rates of car insurance premiums, which takes into account all accidents and car damage in their methodologies. i don't know the ins and outs or where to find the data, but when i lived in georgia people would always lament how high insurance was, and you could see why on the road. driving on sidewalks, speeding as the norm, multi-car pileups as a regular sight on your commute.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Interesting point!

[@benjaminhigham3624]

nah you’re totally justified making these criticisms. Biking in Tampa is SCARY

[@dozenthdragon]

Expect New Zealand's traffic fatality rate to get worse as the current government is cutting public transit projects left and right while going all-in on widening roads. We're so 20th century.

[@williamhuang8309]

And there are a lot more utes and SUVs on the roads now

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

I recently visited NZ, and unfortunately I noticed exactly what you're saying. Also lots of people drive trucks and SUVs now.

[@Coccinelf]

They act like you attacked them personally. Do they not know that how the city is planned and designed is not their fault? If you came here and said negative stuff about how my city is handling traffic I would say: Yes! I completely agree! It's bad! I guess maybe they felt attacked personally if they have black windows on their cars...

[@kailahmann1823]

but the shitty driving, Florida is world known for, is their fault… As are the mentioned black windows or having a raised pickup "to look more intimidating".

[@Coccinelf]

@@kailahmann1823 You are totally right! I'm so used to feel completely powerless that I failed to realize they in fact choose to be dangerous.

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

Oh The Urbanity. I could not agree with you anymore. Spot on!

[@Abhishek0S]

Thank you for the video! I have never seen those numbers before, and it was really shocking how bad it is. Also, your argument for safety stats including traffic fatalities and not just crime, is very reasonable. This video needs to watched by everyone, I will do my part in sharing!

[@loneIyboy15]

It's important to remember that Japan's traffic death totals are wildly inflated by the disproportionate ratio of Isekai protagonists to the rest of the world.

[@theaveragejoe5781]

What does that mean?

[@FranziskaNagel445]

​@@theaveragejoe5781 there is a trope in japanese litrature that someone gets run over by a truck and reincarnates into a different world. That trope is called isekai. Many isekai stories get released every year. Japan would have fewer traffic fatalities if fate/evil goods wouldn't kill people for reincarnation so often.

[@_SpamMe]

@@theaveragejoe5781 Google Truck-kun meme.

[@loneIyboy15]

@@theaveragejoe5781 I find it sad that you and three other people didn't get the reference.

[@theaveragejoe5781]

@loneIyboy15 well, now I know. 😆

[@mbogucki1]

Your scientifically collected data and accurate charts are no match for the "common sense" anecdotal experiences of everyday individuals. You should know this. 😂😂

[@jamesodell3064]

Carmel, Indiana, a city of about 100,000 has been replacing traffic lights with roundabouts and has greatly reduced traffic fatalities. People hate roundabouts until they get used to them so there is a lot of resistance to installing them in other cities.

[@sexygeek8996]

Having lived in both the United States and Canada, a big difference is that in Canada you are more likely to get ticketed for not yielding to pedestrians and you are more likely to be criminally charged if you kill someone recklessly.

[@prophetzarquon1922]

Traffic cameras _on public roads_ are somehow seen as an invasion of privacy, despite there being no reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces. We _should_ eliminate traffic fines & just _take licenses away_ when people habitually fail to obey traffic laws. With traffic cameras on every public street, unlicensed drivers wouldn't get very far. Inconveniently, our Freedom Of Information Access laws require all those camera systems make their records available to the public, so they're a boon to stalkers _in addition_ to any fears of government overreach & oppression. When offenders can commit literally _hundreds_ of crimes per fine, it's no wonder it becomes habitual. I don't like the idea of being on camera all the time... but I am anyway! Privacy is a sensation & a practice, not a state of being; and it isn't available to most of us in many meaningful ways. "Privacy" should not trump public safety, *_in public places._*

[@CC-yj3dl]

Do not listen to people trying to insult you over your opinions about pedestrian safety in Miami. I have lived here for 50 years. I am a native and your impression on the previous video was spot on 100# correct. It is unacceptable the situation for pedestrians here. I must navigate this city on foot daily and it is an ordeal. The only good thing I can say about being a pedestrian here is that it has kept me in good physical condition with sharp reflexes. Of course I am still relatively young. However this should not be a prerequisite for a pedestrian in such a major city that survives on money from tourism

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Guns for Greens. Using guns against SUVs and oversized pickup trucks killing people and taking away cyclists' freedom would be a JUSTIFIED use of guns. This is NOT some stupid cause like antivaxxers complaining about vaccines saving millions of lives or anti-immigrant fascists complaining about migrants doing business and building a better life for themselves.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

How is only having access to a single mode of transport more free than having access to multiple modes of transport?

[@seaotter42]

As someone who only agrees with about half of what y'all put out there, I say keep the criticism coming! It's funny that there was pushback to your Miami video of all things... pedestrian access seems like it should be critical to the Miami tourist business. Who goes to Miami beach to sit inside or in a car the whole time? There's a reason people talk about "long walks on the beach"... It doesn't snow and only has modest rain... the whole point of visiting Miami is to be outside!

[@jpg3702]

Recently there was tragic crash in San Francisco in which a driver crashed into a family of four waiting for the bus, killing all of them including an infant and toddler. This in a dense urban area with lots of transit, yet many great urbanist cities still have sections designed around cars and single family homes. These kinds of tragedies are reminders of why the work of Oh the Urbanity and the advocacy groups are so important.

[@judithwood6419]

My friends in Canada please keep complaining about our roads and highway and comparing them to Canada and Europe and Asia where it’s better for pedestrian bikers, etc. I am from Philadelphia and you’re complaining helps to make the case for locals want to improve our pedestrian experience. as a native of Philadephia when I was younger, the experience was way better and I wonder what it was when I was younger and improve it. Thank you my friends.

[@JoshKablack]

I'm becoming ever more convinced that Bugs Bunny had it right about Florida.

[@DanielDwire]

It’s tyranny for the government to protect the public from my aggressive driving

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Haha that's great.😆😂 Sounds like something Glenn Beck or John Phillips would say.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Guns for Greens. Using guns against SUVs and oversized pickup trucks killing people and taking away cyclists' freedom would be a JUSTIFIED use of guns. This is NOT some stupid cause like antivaxxers complaining about vaccines saving millions of lives or anti-immigrant fascists complaining about migrants doing business and building a better life for themselves.

[@Gert-DK]

Copenhagen has between 5-7 killed in traffic pr. year. About 1,5 million inhabitant.

[@Capybellie]

Cars are freedom for drivers. Being able to choose if you want to drive, walk or take public transport is freedom for everyone

[@atavanH]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="490">8:10</a> yeah people are always surprised how car centric New Zealand is.

[@kookamunga2458]

Unfortunately the car-brain mentality is all over North America and every year there are ever increasing car sales and increasing city populations without any new land and vehicles are getting larger and people are driving faster than before .It's hell here for pedestrians and cyclists.

[@jonmcclung5597]

Keep in mind that because these statistics have a decent amount of consistency year to year, and it's no mystery why some countries do better than others, a better term than "road accidents" is "planned road deaths". Every year that cities refuse to fix this, they are planning for a certain number of people to die who would otherwise live.

[@0li_vi_er]

To be honest, Toronto can also be very dangerous. Last time I was there, I almost got run over by a moose...

[@bfrost7]

i'm from Miami, the rich areas have some of the public infrastructure you would expect in a big city, like the metro line. the rest of Miami is suburban sprawl, that promotes a car heavy culture. good luck walking, biking, or taking the bus in the summer with the humidity. and as far as the reactionary takes you got, those are the people that hold Miami back. I say this with 100 percent certainty b/c they're my family, they're conservative latinos for whom anything the government national/state/local does that can be deemed as a public service is bad b/c it's socialism/communism but when it's time to retire and get social security, send their kids to public school, apply for food aide, they're in line b/c it affects them directly.

[@JohnPrepuce]

Well they paid into Social security for decades, why not get some of it back? It would be foolish for them to simply gift the government that money. They are probably anti-public transport projects because they have seen how Miami squanders people's taxes on failures.

[@maddoxmagennis1520]

If Toronto looks good in comparison with regards to urbanism, you know you’re failing badly

[@AMPProf]

DUDED that's my fall back

[@AustinSersen]

You folks really knocked it out of the park with this one. So interesting, great analysis and data, and a fresh perspective with specifics.

[@jayziac]

Thanks for this video, I hope everyone passes this onto their local politicians to raise awareness, and hopefully change!

[@agentzapdos4960]

The sub-5,000 population town of Dunnville, Ontario has the absolute worst drivers in the world.

[@alexi-divasskinner960]

definitely Canada's worst drivers lolll

[@agentzapdos4960]

@@alexi-divasskinner960 Well it is where they filmed the show IIRC

[@paikiwika]

They're so sensitive. I wonder whether they're urbanists, trolls, or just happened upon your video because they wanted to learn something about Miami. Kudos for getting back at them with data, but I think the chance that they watch this video is low, that is unless they're trolls.

[@tintin_999]

1% of the population getting injured in traffic crashes in 1 year is just off the wall insane... imagine if 1% of people in Miami were being injured in violent crime incidents each year, the response would be very different.

[@hcoggins93]

Really nice video! You two are always asking the right questions and making good points

[@ryannatividad3137]

That is really interesting. I didn't realize that the traffic deaths were overall so much lower in Canada. While it is not surprising to me that different cities and states do worse than others, even comparable cities (in terms of culture and roadway design) in both countries seem to show a significant disparity between peer cities in Canada and the US. I'm surprised that most of the Canadian cities are doing better than places like NY and SF. It does suggest that there is something cultural and legal behind the numbers as well. Canada being relatively comparable and doing way better is good to see in terms of having a rebuttal to carbrained responses that the US can't do better when it comes to lowering traffic fatalities. Canada is not that different and is relatively similar geographically and in its autocentricity...we CAN and HAVE TO do better.

[@michaelvickers4437]

It's one of those many small, but significant, ways that Canada and the US are different. Differences in law, differences in history, differences in development patterns, etc. that although the two countries look superficially the same, they are different. And those differences affect impractical things, like collision death rates, life expectancy, health, etc.

[@kailahmann1823]

another case, where a car centric country has surprisingly good safety records it the UK. It's usually by far (!) the best large country in this category, despite clearly not being known for it's good cycling infrastructure or long distance rail network… Also the US seams to be the only place, where cities have worse numbers than rural areas - everywhere else (including Canada) it's the opposite.

[@TheTroyc1982]

well that easy to explain as the UK doesn't have long straight roads which makes it easy to speed. UK roads are narrower and more curvy. Canada the US and Australia have the same road structures and the US still does much worst than either

[@kailahmann1823]

@@TheTroyc1982 yep, Brits drive almost everywhere, but they don't drive 80 mph though cities in a 4-ton pickup.

[@keystonedriving8180]

It's also sobering to realise that road fatalities in Miami are equivalent to about a fifth of those for the entire United Kingdom (population 65 million).

[@MultiCappie]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="250">4:10</a> ... Edmonton just recently announced that 2023's traffic fatality rate had fallen by half.

[@davidfouts1939]

Love this video. I work for a non-profit that promotes Vizion Zero (which is actually about ending deaths of all road users) across Texas. These kinds of arguments are super helpful when we try to convince local governments to change.

[@cebo494]

Surprised you didn't mention Hoboken when it comes to US cities with low traffic fatalities. It's sort-of an extension of NYC, but it's traffic safety is especially unique, and some of the best in the world, with *zero* traffic fatalities since 2017.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

The population is well under half a million so it’s harder to do these comparisons

[@keystonedriving8180]

Just a further thought. In the UK we no longer have Road Traffic Accidents, we have Road Traffic Incidents/Collisions. The point being that these things are not Accidents, they are caused by people getting it wrong. When we get it wrong we need to accept responsibility for the outcome, regardless of whether or not it was intentional. Hiding behind the term 'accident' is essentially refusing to accept that we got it wrong. It may be a small thing, but it has been a part of changing people's attitudes.

[@pinoygal6232]

Honolulu would have made your top 5 fatalities list, but Hawai'i is often left off of USA lists.