More than 20,000 people died in car crashes in the first half of 2021, the highest in a six month period in 15 years and 18.4% more than in the first half of 2020, according to data released by the Department of Transportation. “There’s a fundamental problem that exists, because federal transportation funds have focused on making sure that driving is the easiest way for people to get around,” Madeline Brozen, assistant director of both the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, told Grist. Since the Regan administration, federal transportation funding has been allocated on a 80/20 ratio with public transportation receiving just one-fifth of funding while the rest goes to highways and private transportation. “It has huge negative health consequences in terms of environmental justice,” Brozen added, “but it also has these huge health and safety consequences for drivers and pedestrians.” (Grist)
