Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death

The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities.

POLITICO

Prioritising life over cars

VisionZero - Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death

"Helsinki, like Oslo and Stockholm, have all but eliminated traffic fatalities. Lower road speeds, automated cameras, and clever city design all helped; but it’s the over-arching vision that made it all possible. More than half of Helsinki’s streets have a speed limit of 30 km/h (approximately 20 mph). Smarter street design also played a key role. Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure was prioritized for upgrades in recent years. More and more people started using public transit or bikes, or just walking."
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/helsinki-went-a-full-year-without-a-traffic-death-how-did-they-do-it/

In 2024, Australia experienced its worst road toll in over a decade, with 1,300 fatalities.
https://datahub.roadsafety.gov.au/progress-reporting/monthly-road-deaths

Can Australia cut road deaths to zero by 2050? Current trends say no. What’s going wrong?
https://theconversation.com/can-we-cut-road-deaths-to-zero-by-2050-current-trends-say-no-whats-going-wrong-220289
#VisionZero #MobilityDesign #cars #speed #RecklessDriving #motorists #CarDominance #TrafficDeaths #pedestrians #PublicTransport #cycling #RoadToll #SacrificeZone #roads #climate

Incredible road trend after Aussie speed cameras switched to enforcement mode https://au.news.yahoo.com/incredible-road-trend-after-aussie-speed-cameras-switched-to-enforcement-mode-224619130.html

The fines aren’t high enough to deter #speeding. Change the laws, strip a license from anyone caught #speeding immediately. Make them use public transport for a year before being able to reapply for a learners permit & start the process of getting a new license from scratch.

#CarAccidents #TrafficDeaths

Incredible road trend after Aussie speed cameras switched to enforcement mode

At this single stretch of road, more than $4 million in fines has been generated.

Yahoo News

https://www.portland.gov/transportation/vision-zero/annual-deadly-traffic-crash-report

#multilanestreets and high speeds continue to be consistent risk factors contributing to #trafficdeaths. In 2024, 71% of traffic deaths occurred on Portland’s 30 deadliest streets and intersections…At least 48% of traffic deaths involved speeding or excessive speeding.

#PDX #Portland #bike

Annual Deadly Traffic Crash Report

Portland Bureau of Transportation continually reviews deadly traffic crashes in Portland, analyzing trends and then building this report each winter to look back at the previous year. Understanding the circumstances and factors behind each loss of life from traffic violence is core to our work.

Portland.gov

In 2022, roughly half of traffic fatalities were unbelted. Seat belt compliance is pretty good, about 92%, but half of the deaths are from that 8% who defeat the safety measures. #trafficdeaths #trafficdeath #darwinaward #safety #driving #darwin #autodarwinate

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/seat-belts

Woman who survived Nazis, Chernobyl, COVID killed while crossing Brooklyn street, police say

Mayya Gil, 95, immigrated from Ukraine in 1992. Officials say she died after being hit by a driver outside her Brooklyn home.

Gothamist

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed Monday night, December 23, on C.H. James Parkway, west of Florence Road #CobbCounty #PowderSprings #PedestrianFatalities #TrafficDeaths

https://cobbcountycourier.com/2024/12/pedestrian-killed-monday-dec-23-crossing-ch-james-pkwy/

Pedestrian killed Monday Dec 23 crossing CH James Pkwy

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed Monday night, December 23, on C.H. James Parkway, west of Florence Road

Cobb Courier

I've been thinking about posting this story for a few days. A timely topic! @breadandcircuses @jensorensen

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars

Dangerous, polluting #SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame.

by David Zipper, April 2024

"Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous.

"Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any sedans in its home market.) Bulky SUVs and pickup trucks — which have themselves steadily added pounds and inches — now comprise more than four out of every five new cars sold in the US, up from just over half in 2013, even as national household size steadily declines.

"The expanding size of automobiles — a phenomenon I call #CarBloat — has deepened a slew of national problems. Take #RoadSafety: Unlike peer nations, the US has endured a steep rise in #TrafficDeaths, with fatalities among #pedestrians and #cyclists, who are at elevated risk in a crash with a huge car, recently hitting 40-year highs. Vehicle occupants face danger as well. A 2019 study concluded that compared to a smaller vehicle, an SUV or a pickup colliding with a smaller car was 28 percent and 159 percent, respectively, more likely to kill that car’s driver.

"Car bloat also threatens the planet. Because heavier vehicles require more energy to move, they tend to gulp rather than sip the gasoline or electricity that powers them, increasing #GreenhouseGas emissions. Extra weight also accelerates the erosion of #roadways and #tires, straining highway maintenance budgets and releasing #microplastics that damage #ecosystems."

Read more:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24139147/suvs-trucks-popularity-federal-policy-pollution?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars

How federal lawmakers helped SUVs and pickups take over America

Vox

> Family wants mom charged: 'He was speeding over and over, and mom knew it'

What if--and hear me out--we simply make speed limiters on cars mandatory?

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2024/08/22/elizabeth-puleo-tague-kiernan-flynn-mackrell-car-crash-charges-parents/74595263007/

#car #cars #driving #speeding #trafficDeaths #visionZero #20isPlenty

'Slow the f--- down': Grosse Pointe mom's texts to son may come back to haunt her

Grosse Pointe family says a mother knew her son was driving at 100-mph speeds months before he killed their son. They want her charged now.

Detroit Free Press
Johnny Gaudreau's sister Katie's wedding canceled after NHL star and brother Matthew killed by drunk driver

Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, had been set to serve as groomsmen in Katie and her fiancé Devin Joyce’s nuptials in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.

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