Street design has also played a key role. Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure has been significantly upgraded in recent years. In addition, cooperation with traffic police has intensified and more traffic cameras and automated enforcement systems have been introduced.
“Public transport in Helsinki is excellent, which reduces car use, and with it, the number of serious accidents,” Utriainen noted.
Yep, that would do it.
Especially road design (for example avoiding those deadly 4-way intersections the US loves so much) as well enforcing speed limits around danger areas like schools, and most importantly, reduce the number of cars by providing better alternatives…
It’s multifactorial. Cities like Helsinki and Amsterdam are poster children, but Europe also has plenty of areas (especially suburbs) that are as car-dependent as equivalent US cities.
However traffic deaths remain much lower than in the US thanks to less idiotically-designed streets.
Step 0, by far the biggest impact-to-cost ratio, is narrow the damn streets. Take the biggest road-legal vehicle allowed on that street, mark down the path of travel, and put some plastic bollards a few inches on either side. Watch as everybody instinctively slows down even though the flow of traffic is not even impeded or redirected in any way. This policy - by itself - doesn’t even reduce car dependence! If you do it as part of the regular road repair schedule, it’s literally free.
America’s wide-ass roads constantly astound me with their profound stupidity. There’s literally no tangible gain, and so many downsides to public safety. I understand (though I strongly disagree with) the usual refrains for why the US is car-centric, but making streets too wide is simply inexcusable and unconscionable.
An additional aspect, IMO, is that Europeans in general are much better educated when it comes to driving rules and driving in general. Rigorous theoretical and practical exams, expensive mandatory classes, and actual enforcement that, not rarely, will take away a driver’s license for serious/repeated offenses. This causes people to approach driving as a privilege, not some god given right.
Anecdote time - I actually have a couple of American neighbors, they’re a couple in their late 60s/early 70s, probably. It pains me to see their gorgeous BMW X5 gaining new dents almost single time they go out with it… :(
Eeeeeh. I mean sure, we do have stricter requirements, but not nearly as much as fantasized by Americans. My grandpa still has a license that he got where the whole test was saying “I solemnly swear that I can drive”. Here in Belgium the country is extremely car-dependent so license suspensions are actually vanishingly rare, requiring you to get caught red-handed more than 40 km/h above the speed limit (50 in practice due to radar correction), and even then the suspension is only temporary; I have never heard of anyone who lost theirs permanently. Most people here do consider driving to be a right. Until a few short years ago temporary license suspensions could even be scheduled only on weekends and holidays!
Another angle to see this problem: I see Dutch people driving in Belgium daily. And they’re absolute menaces. But they’re so chill when they drive in Holland! What gives? Well most roads around here have more in common with American roads than Dutch ones… Give a dutchie in a BMW a wide straight line and he will do 75 km/h in a school zone without a second thought before changing lanes without signalling, then barrel through a roundabout while ignoring right-of-way. They aren’t better drivers, they just have such good road infrastructure that forces them to drive one very specific way: slowly and carefully.
Yep, that would do it.
Especially road design (for example avoiding those deadly 4-way intersections the US loves so much) as well enforcing speed limits around danger areas like schools, and most importantly, reduce the number of cars by providing better alternatives…
An impressive feat.
It’s multifactorial. Cities like Helsinki and Amsterdam are poster children, but Europe also has plenty of areas (especially suburbs) that are as car-dependent as equivalent US cities.
However traffic deaths remain much lower than in the US thanks to less idiotically-designed streets.
Step 0, by far the biggest impact-to-cost ratio, is narrow the damn streets. Take the biggest road-legal vehicle allowed on that street, mark down the path of travel, and put some plastic bollards a few inches on either side. Watch as everybody instinctively slows down even though the flow of traffic is not even impeded or redirected in any way. This policy - by itself - doesn’t even reduce car dependence! If you do it as part of the regular road repair schedule, it’s literally free.
America’s wide-ass roads constantly astound me with their profound stupidity. There’s literally no tangible gain, and so many downsides to public safety. I understand (though I strongly disagree with) the usual refrains for why the US is car-centric, but making streets too wide is simply inexcusable and unconscionable.
No. No. Nooooooooo no!
Fuck those abominations.
I agree with you, it is multifactorial.
An additional aspect, IMO, is that Europeans in general are much better educated when it comes to driving rules and driving in general. Rigorous theoretical and practical exams, expensive mandatory classes, and actual enforcement that, not rarely, will take away a driver’s license for serious/repeated offenses. This causes people to approach driving as a privilege, not some god given right.
Anecdote time - I actually have a couple of American neighbors, they’re a couple in their late 60s/early 70s, probably. It pains me to see their gorgeous BMW X5 gaining new dents almost single time they go out with it… :(
Eeeeeh. I mean sure, we do have stricter requirements, but not nearly as much as fantasized by Americans. My grandpa still has a license that he got where the whole test was saying “I solemnly swear that I can drive”. Here in Belgium the country is extremely car-dependent so license suspensions are actually vanishingly rare, requiring you to get caught red-handed more than 40 km/h above the speed limit (50 in practice due to radar correction), and even then the suspension is only temporary; I have never heard of anyone who lost theirs permanently. Most people here do consider driving to be a right. Until a few short years ago temporary license suspensions could even be scheduled only on weekends and holidays!
Another angle to see this problem: I see Dutch people driving in Belgium daily. And they’re absolute menaces. But they’re so chill when they drive in Holland! What gives? Well most roads around here have more in common with American roads than Dutch ones… Give a dutchie in a BMW a wide straight line and he will do 75 km/h in a school zone without a second thought before changing lanes without signalling, then barrel through a roundabout while ignoring right-of-way. They aren’t better drivers, they just have such good road infrastructure that forces them to drive one very specific way: slowly and carefully.
Also parking in the city centre is expensive as hell. It’s cheaper and more convenient to park for free further out and take a train in.
Too bad cycle nuts stop after “cars” and politicians don’t care either.