Distracted driving presents itself in various forms, but one of the most prevalent and dangerous behaviors is texting, scrolling or using cell phones (and on-board screens) while driving. As advocates for safer mobility for everyone, we believe it's crucial to raise awareness, encourage safe driving behavior on the road, and reverse this worrying and dangerous trend. The Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign aims to raise awareness about the risks associated with distracted driving and promote safer habits behind the wheel.
Like most of the US, California grapples with road safety. With ever larger cars clogging busy urban roads California seeks innovative solutions to curb traffic crashes and reduce congestion.
Among many efforts to improve the road network and our behavior, significant opportunities might be found in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to these problems. By utilizing AI's capabilities to analyze road networks, dangerous driving behavior, and other crucial factors, we might be on the brink of a revolution in road safety practices.
Last week, DCR was honored to be invited to be part of a discussion, between a Finnish Smart City business and research delegation and the City of LA, to talk about opportunities to decarbonize Los Angeles. The event took place at the Finnish Consulate in Los Angeles. In the words of the Finnish delegation, an important aim of their visit was to "introduce Finnish solutions that decarbonize cities, focusing on energy, the electrification of transit, green construction and smart building management, and lastly digitalization to combine and leverage data for improving city services and planning."
Distracted driving is a problem that we are all aware of, but it is also notoriously difficult to quantify the scale of. This is due to the wide array of distractions that impact car drivers, which increasingly cost in terms of lost lives, property and serious injuries. More needs to be done by car and mobile phone manufacturers to restrict distractions while driving – promoting safety through software and hardware. For now though, we are left to self-discipline for the sake of public health: when we drive a car, we should do so with as few distractions as possible.
In 2020 there were 6,516 pedestrians killed due to motor traffic in the United States. That equates to 18 pedestrians every day or 125 pedestrians every week. Why does this happen? Walking isn't an inherently dangerous activity – but walking in an environment that's built primarily for cars is. Recognizing this serious problem is not difficult, but reversing trends and creating safer walking and biking environments requires re-designing our streets so everyone feels safe, regardless of their mode of transportation.
DCR is happy to announce the availability of a new web application for the County of San Luis Obispo. In addition to bikeway infrastructure, the map shows MTB and hiking trails along with trailheads, bus stops, bike shops and more. The map was developed on behalf of the SLO Rideshare program. We hope to follow on with a set of printed maps as well.
According to the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) the main reasons for the continued drop in traffic deaths are reduced speed limits better adapted to existing road designs, safer cars and, in urban areas, separating and protecting pedestrians and cyclists from auto traffic.
Targets and efforts towards Vision Zero (no deaths or major injuries in traffic) in Sweden have consistently aligned to reduce the number of crash deaths, the number now less than half of what it was 20 years ago (550 deaths in 1998).
