Driving is a necessity for many Georgia residents, but with it comes the risk of getting into a car accident. Although accidents decreased during 2020 as a result of fewer people being on the road, looking at the numbers shows a concerning pattern. While many other countries are seeing a decrease in fatal traffic accidents, the United States is actually experiencing an increase in them.
Potential reasons
Some articles have pointed to smartphones as the reason for more car accidents. While distracted driving is a serious danger, it is an issue other countries suffer from as well. Some suggest that other countries have less sprawl than the USA. However, Canadian drivers are much safer, despite the country also being spread out compared to countries in the EU. Some studies, though, looked at the difference in car regulations, pedestrian safety and truck accidents in the USA.
Pedestrian safety
The European Union, China and several other major countries have added pedestrian safety tests to NCAP crash ratings. This may be part of what has improved their traffic safety. Studies reveal that more fatal car crashes involving pedestrians happen in particular types of cars. Specifically, truck accidents correlate to a higher number of pedestrian fatalities. While this is not the only difference between the US and other countries when it comes to traffic safety, there are growing concerns about truck accidents, pedestrians and safety.
There are also differences in the roads themselves. Other countries have adopted more traffic circles. They have also implemented traffic cameras. Many US states have made these illegal.
It does not appear that there is one cause for the decline of traffic safety for US drivers, but rather many practices adopted in safer countries that aren’t happening in the USA.