Can we save more lives on the roads of the United States

Car safety technology seems to be developing at an alarming rate. However, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, despite significant advances in safety over the decades, the number of road deaths in the United States in 2017 still exceeded 37,000, slightly lower than in 2016. Compared with 2011, the number of deaths per year is still around 5,000, which is a significant low in the history of deaths. The National Safety Council also counts the number of deaths on private roads, and the committee says the number of deaths per year actually exceeds 40,000.

For more than 50 years, automakers and regulators have been working to improve the safety of cars and driving. So why is there no decline in the number of highway deaths in the United States? People drive more miles than in the past, but this does not fully explain the reasons for growth. Transportation experts say the industry and other industries, such as government road designers, safety regulators and drivers, may take more steps to reduce this number.

There are still so many security technologies on the shelf, and too many people are too confident about their driving. The most fundamental cultural question is: Why do we have to tolerate so many road accidents?

There is no answer. Drunk drivers are still committing suicide and killing, and distracted driving is still a deadly epidemic. Some people think that urban road design is more inclined to traffic flow than to safety. Many of the planned car manufacturers' safety advances are many years later, and some proven safety features remain as a luxury option.

Part 1: Car

The prospect of self-driving cars is so exciting because this technology can greatly reduce traffic deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (nhtsa) said that nine out of every 10 serious car accidents were related to driver errors. In theory, a robot-driven car won't fall asleep or get drunk. It does not make human errors.

Of course, this kind of reasoning has many unknowns. Fully automated vehicles do not yet exist, and if they are launched in everyday use, they are still susceptible to other types of errors, such as design defects or programming failures. At present, there is no agreement between regulators, automakers and regulators on how to measure the performance of autonomous test vehicles on the road. Many of the expected safety benefits may still be theoretical before the question is answered in a way that evokes public confidence.

Similarly, V2V communication is generally considered to be the key to developing future transportation systems, as the intelligence of future transportation systems makes the incidence of traffic accidents and traffic accidents low. This technology uses short-range radio signals (or future 5G networks) so that cars can "talk" to each other and coordinate with traffic signals.

Some car manufacturers have installed V2V hardware on their cars. However, the delay in equipping more cars is not so much related to the speed of technological development as it is to priorities.

The proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to establish the basic rules for V2V is caught in a dispute between automakers and technology companies. The technology industry hopes that the radio waves reserved for v2v can now be used to extend wifi. There are other proposals within the government that are part of this debate.

Obviously, some existing anti-collision technologies are saving lives. Some groups want more new cars with these features, such as FCW and AEB.

Part II: Roads

A poorly designed road may escalate a minor bug into a fatal accident. Traffic engineers know that small changes in corner sweeps or unclear road signs can have an impact on safety. To this end, dozens of cities in the United States are focusing on safety and comprehensively reflecting on road design.

According to the World Health Organization, in the United States, about 12 out of every 100,000 people die from road traffic accidents. In most parts of Western Europe, it is less than five years old. In Sweden, less than three.

Some communities are changing street design and traffic regulations. In 2014, New York was one of the first cities in the United States to adopt a zero-vision concept that required city planners to reconsider everything on roads, bicycle lanes, and walking routes. The goal is to eliminate all vehicle-related deaths.

Part III: Driver

It is not surprising that the driver’s mistakes caused the highway to crash and be injured. Drunk driving, speeding and not wearing seat belts are the three main reasons. Sometimes drivers engage in more than one dangerous behavior at the same time. About 10,000 people die each year from traffic accidents.

Human behavior is still the most common cause of car accidents, but it is also the hardest to change.