The Deadly Road Design We Keep Defending

Pedestrian deaths have climbed sharply since 2009, yet transportation agencies often point to small, recent dips as proof that things are getting better. Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, returns to the Strong Towns Podcast to talk about the latest Dangerous by Design report and the choices that keep making American roads so deadly. She and Chuck dig into why state-owned roads are especially dangerous, how street design shapes driver behavior, and why blaming pedestrians or waiting for automated vehicles keeps the focus away from the roads themselves. The big question is this: when will we stop treating roadway deaths as the cost of getting around and start changing the roads that make them predictable?

Additional Show Notes

• Beth Osborne (LinkedIn)
• Smart Growth America (Site)
• Dangerous by Design 2026 Report (PDF)
• The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s (Article)
• Chuck Marohn (Substack)

 

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