US ROAD-SAFETY RECORD WORST AMONG RICH COUNTRIES

-> By most counts the US has the worst road-safety record in the rich world. Its rate of 10.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year is almost twice as high as Belgium's, the next-worst well-off country, and roughly level with that of Mexico. One of the main reasons is because Americans drive far more often than the rich-world average. When miles travelled are taken into account, America was actually a bit safer than Japan, Slovenia and Belgium. In addition, the United States also has a relatively high share of rural roads, which often have poor lighting, road markings and safety barriers. However, most other countries have made better progress than America has in recent years. Sweden, which in 1997 introduced its Vision Zero plan to reduce fatal crashes to zero, now has the safest roads in the world. http://econ.st/2c1pVmR

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.