The United States has the “most dangerous roads in the industrialised world”. The fatality rate in the US (per miles driven) is more than twice as high as in Britain or Sweden, and about 40% higher than in Canada or Australia. This isn’t one of those situations in which the US has long been an outlier – as is the case with, say, guns or the death penalty. As recently as 1990, America had a lower vehicle fatality rate than other affluent countries. So what happened?
The answer is that other nations decided that their road death tolls were unacceptable, and launched successful “evidence-based campaigns” to reduce them. America, where people are instinctively resistant to any perceived state infringement on their “freedom”, hasn’t taken this sort of concerted action. It is more lax about safety belts – and thus has more deaths – and needs more speed cameras and lower speed restrictions. Roll on, then, the days of the self-driving car. This technology promises to slash road fatalities across the industrialised world, but it will be a particular boon for America. (based on an article by David Leonhardt, The New York Times)
Good point. I live in the middle of a big city, but walk everywhere I can. Our car, bought four years ago has all of 12,000 on the clock. But walking here is a dangerous business. In Europe there are well- marked “zebra crossings” – fail to stop at one and you are in dead trouble with the police, heavily fined at the very least, and banned driving in some dangerous circumstances. In American cities you take your life in your hands crossing the road. Getting eye contact with drivers is essential, because they believe they have the right of way at all times and that the speed limit is for the birds. Add to that literally dismal or non-existent road lighting in the evenings, and drivers watching their cellphones more ardently that the road ahead, and you have the conditions for carnage. I have managed to stay alive for over 20 years, but it only takes a moment of inattention…… Rules of the road an infringement of personal freedom? Pah!
A lot of this is because America’s roads are such poor quality. For the country that first mass produced cars, America has gone from being a world-leader in the quality of roads to one which seriously lags behind. America’s roads desperately need a upgrade if we are to reduce deaths.
There are two ways of doing is. The first (and most obvious) is to raise taxes to fund road improvements and upgrades. America has one of the lowest gasoline taxes in the world (aside from oil rich countries which subsidise it), so it makes sense to raise taxes to fund road improvements. It’s also fair that road upgrades be funded from a higher gas tax and not general taxation, or else public transport users would be effectively subsidising car drivers. A higher gas tax would reduce car use, thus reducing congestion and improving air quality. The downside of a higher gas tax is that it would hit poorer drivers harder, whereas rich drivers wouldn’t notice the difference. Republicans would portray it as progressive elitism.
The other solution (and this is already happening in many Republican states), is to get private companies to build and maintain roads in exchange for being allowed to collect a toll. This means large infrastructure upgrades can be completed without higher taxes. Unlike general taxation, only road users would have to pay for it. And drivers who refused to pay would have the option of using a slower, older roads. Instead of traditional tolls, many states require drivers to have smart tags, which work as a wireless debit card- charged every time the driver enters the toll road, to avoid the congestion associated with traditional tolls.
Personally I believe both solutions are required. It’s obvious the American government needs to spend more on roads. But big tax increases would be unpopular and in some cases regressive. Private companies should be allowed to build roads, provided the government caps the price of the tolls.