A new World Research Institute report study explores the barriers to reducing road fatalities Released the same week a fatal Uber crash in Tempe, Arizona highlighted questions of road safety and design, a new report suggests that politicians and policymakers often have the solutions to safer streets, yet lack the political will to create meaningful change.
?Cities Can Have Safer Roads; The Misperception That They Can?t Is Killing Us,? a joint product of the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), examined the political obstacles to building safer streets and enacting broader, pedestrian-friendly reforms. One of the core issues researchers found in cities across the globe was prioritization.
Every year, 1.25 million people are killed and 50 million are injured in traffic collisions, mostly poor, working-age males in lower income countries walking, biking, or cycling to work. According to World Health Organization data, road fatalities are the leading cause of death for those age 15-29 across the globe. In response, planners and policymakers in many cities have devised so-called Safe System, or Vision Zero, plans to prevent these deaths and make roadways more secure. Yet, as the report detailed, the issue of safe streets often remains a low priority, sidelined in favor of politically expedient campaigns to build new roads, and even considered a barrier to efforts to reduce gridlock, congestion, and drive times.

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