Pedestrian caution
Worse were Pucher's findings that per trip, American pedestrians are roughly three times more likely to be killed in traffic than German pedestrians -- and over six times more likely than Dutch pedestrians. For bicyclists, Americans are twice as likely to be killed as Germans and over three times as likely as Dutch cyclists.
In Europe, people make 33 percent of their trips by foot or bicycle, compared with just 9.4 percent of Americans' trips.
Pucher said the extra activity had to be healthy, as life expectancy in the Netherlands and Germany is about two years longer than in the United States, and obesity rates are lower.
Why can these Europeans walk and bike more, and more safely, than Americans? It's not just travel distance -- 41 percent of U.S. trips are shorter than 2 miles, yet most are by car.
Instead, Pucher cited Dutch and German policies that encourage more sidewalks and bike paths; traffic-calming and auto-free zones in cities; extensive road-sharing education for drivers and cyclists; and pedestrian-friendly urban design.