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America's roads have never felt more perilous -- and the numbers back that anxiety. Traffic deaths surged during and after the pandemic and have remained stubbornly high, even as vehicle technology and safety systems becomes more advanced than at any point in history.
In 2014, for example, the U.S. road traffic fatality figure hovered around 35,398. That number jumped to over 40,000 in 2016, rose to an all-time high of 46,980 in 2021 during COVID, and has remained at about 44,000 ever since.
The paradox is striking: cars are safer on paper, yet the people inside and around them are facing greater risk. And inside the auto industry, executives quietly acknowledge a truth the public is only beginning to confront -- modern vehicle design, technology, and behavior are helping fuel the crisis.
Bigger vehicles and more distracted driving have changed landscape
Over the past decade, U.S. roads have been transformed by two powerful forces: bigger vehicles and more distracted driving. The rise of SUVs and trucks has reshaped the American auto landscape, and while these vehicles protect their occupants, they also pose greater danger to pedestrians and occupants in smaller cars. Higher front ends, heavier curb weights, and longer stopping distances have turned everyday collisions into life-altering events. Safety researchers warn that when a two-ton vehicle meets an unprotected pedestrian or cyclist, physics -- not technology -- wins every time.
Carmakers don't deny the trend; they track it obsessively. Product planners understand exactly how vehicle size, weight, and hood height affect crash outcomes. Yet the market speaks louder than the data. Consumers want bigger vehicles, and profit margins on trucks and SUVs -- which are comparatively high -- remain critical to company earnings. The industry's economic model is built on the very vehicles that are making American streets more dangerous. Publicly, automakers emphasize more advanced passive and active safety devices and pedestrian-detection systems. Privately, many acknowledge an uncomfortable imbalance: safety innovations are improving while risk exposure is rising even faster.
Driver-assist systems pull drivers' eyes off the road
Layered onto this is the digital cockpit revolution. Screens have replaced buttons, and cars increasingly resemble rolling smartphones. Infotainment systems demand attention through layered menus, swiping motions, and touch-centric controls that pull the driver's eyes off the road. At the same time, advanced driver-assistance systems like lane-keeping and centering, traffic-jam assist, blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control create a subtle psychological shift. More advanced self-driving systems are controversial too, as they can offer hands-free driving on long stretches of highway, while at the same time, lowering driver's attention levels. Drivers feel protected, and some behave accordingly. Safety experts call it "risk compensation," and its effects are visible on highways across the country.
Then there is speed. Roads widened to move commuters more quickly are now feeding faster, heavier vehicles into urban neighborhoods. EVs -- instantly fast and far heavier than gasoline cars -- accelerate this problem. Their quiet running masks speed until it's too late, while their added mass magnifies impact forces in a crash. Insurance losses and repair costs are climbing in parallel, a financial signal of the physical damage happening on the street.
To be fair, automakers are not the sole authors of the danger. Infrastructure gaps, underfunded pedestrian crossing design, and inconsistent enforcement all play a role. But the industry plays a central part -- and it knows it. The next frontier of road safety will require a cultural rethink as much as a technical one: designing vehicles not only to protect occupants, but to coexist safely with the world around them.
Until that shift happens, America's roads will remain caught in a troubling Catch 22 -- technologically safer than ever, and yet, for too many people, more dangerous than they have ever been.