Smarter, safer streets: How data and technology can save lives on U.S. roads

In the years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life, a disturbing trend emerged on America’s roads: driving became significantly more dangerous. Fifty-four percent of Americans now feel the average driver is worse today than before the pandemic, and 40% feel less safe on the roads, according to a recent survey by Verra Mobility. The statistics tell a parallel story—traffic fatalities in the U.S. reached a 16-year high in 2021. So how did we get here, and what can be done to meet the mission of Vision Zero?

The good news is that the latest Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) statistics show the first half of 2023 brought a 4% decrease in pedestrian fatalities. This is welcome news, but deaths are still up 14% since 2019, and drivers in the United States killed 3,373 people in the first half of 2023, after the number of pedestrian deaths reached a four-decade high of more than 7,500 in 2022.

“After witnessing pedestrian deaths rise each year, it’s encouraging to finally see a small decrease,” said GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins. “But the fact remains that 18 people go for a walk every day and don’t return home due to preventable crashes. The only acceptable number of traffic deaths is zero. We must seize on this recent momentum and continue to push for a safer system that protects people on foot from the dangerous driving behaviors that are all too prevalent.”

What’s driving America’s road safety crisis
There’s a series of factors that have all intersected to contribute to unsafe driving. Infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with population growth in many areas, leading to more congestion and impatient drivers. In Florida, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased 75% since 2009, while the population only increased 17%.

Distracted driving, especially from smartphone usage behind the wheel, continues to be a deadly problem. At the same time, many police departments are stretched thin, reducing the enforcement of traffic laws that can deter reckless driving behavior.

There’s a general feeling post-COVID that there’s less compliance due to a combination of factors, including a reduced enforcement presence on the road compared to the past, and a feeling that the consequences of not complying with traffic laws are outweighed by a lower probability of getting caught. All these factors cause many drivers to feel less safe and create significant challenges for local officials trying to reassure residents that Vision Zero can be achieved with the right steps.

New approaches to improve safety
While these challenges around population growth, lack of enforcement and distracted driving are significant, there are ways to address these problems. Forward-looking municipalities are using data to identify specific problem areas like crash-prone corridors and school speeding zones to deliver significant results by focusing road safety improvements and enforcement around these hotspots.

Government agencies can leverage real-world data from their communities to improve public acceptance for automated enforcement or other mitigating actions. When you can tie the problem to the data, it’s much easier for local governments to demonstrate that there’s a problem that needs to be solved, and that they’re making progress.

Another key trend is the shift from criminal traffic enforcement to civil penalties for certain violations. Jurisdictions from California to Ontario, Canada, have made this change to unclog courts and make the process more efficient. These automated systems allow citations to be processed without putting additional strain on overburdened criminal justice systems.

When Colorado passed a new law to increase automated enforcement, the sponsors carefully crafted the bill to balance safety needs and civil liberties. First-time, minor offenders of speed limits are only issued a warning, and speeding fines are capped at $40, although that can double for violations near schools. The bill also prevents the government from “immobilizing” a vehicle if its owner doesn’t pay fines, and citations don’t lead to points against a driver’s license.

The role of automated enforcement
Automated speed enforcement cameras are gaining traction across the U.S. as cities look for ways to improve safety without devoting resources to directly ticketing and interacting with drivers.

New York City saw reductions in traffic fatalities after expanding camera programs following the pandemic. A 12-year study of Medicaid data (tracking actual and long-term injuries) found that after New York enacted Vision Zero in 2009, injury rates dropped, with marked reductions in severe injuries and savings of $90.8 million in Medicaid expendituresin just five years. Recently, New York pedestrian fatalities dropped sharply on Vision Zero Priority corridors: Manhattan has seen a 45% drop since 2019, with a 38% drop in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

This year, California began planning for speed enforcement cameras in six cities to create a layered “safe system” that promotes safer driving behavior without requiring an officer to pull someone over, an interaction that can have equity concerns. The cameras also free up police to focus limited resources on more serious crimes. San Francisco has pledged to install 33 speed safety cameras on streets with a history of speeding and severe or fatal crashes, while the city has lowered speed limits in 56 corridors over 43 street miles, with 17 additional corridors planned by September 2024 and more in 2025.

Safety starts with every driver and voter
Technology can help make roads safer, but it’s not the whole solution. All of us who use the roads need to take responsibility as well. Speeding is a major culprit—a vehicle’s kinetic energy doubles for every 10 mph of increased speed. Slowing down significantly reduces the risk of death in a crash. Avoiding distractions, driving sober and being extra cautious in school zones and neighborhoods can save lives.

For those in charge of designing and managing road systems, now is the time to implement innovative data-driven solutions to identify problem areas, apply multi-layered solutions including infrastructure and enforcement, and educate the public on the safety goals and positive results.

The U.S. is at an inflection point with road safety. No one should accept that tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year is inevitable or acceptable. It’s time for drivers, pedestrians, road designers, law enforcement, policymakers and technology providers to join together and commit to change. If we do, we can reverse the deadly backslide of recent years and ensure America’s roads are safer for generations to come.

For more than two decades, Lew Miller has worked in automated traffic enforcement, supporting some of the most complex programs globally. As senior vice president, global operations at Verra Mobility, he leads an operations team providing services to more than 350 entities worldwide. His focus on public safety has helped establish and maintain several of the largest automated enforcement programs across North America, with a focus on improving the safety of all road users.