Opinion: U.S. Traffic Deaths are a Regulatory Failure One writer argues that rules that prioritize driver safety and ignore pedestrian infrastructure have led to a sharp increase in fatalities on U.S. roads. April 6, 2021, 6am PDT | Diana Ionescu | Despite the COVID-induced reduction in miles driven in 2020, the number of people killed in vehicle crashes rose by 8% over 2019, with 42,000 people dying on U.S. roads, according to the National Safety Council. Calculated on a per-mile basis, writes Sara Bronin in Bloomberg CityLab, this amounts to a 24% increase in deaths—"the highest year-over-year jump in 96 years." According to Bronin, "outdated, industry-written laws lock in street designs that encourage excessive speed, and we drive vehicles known to be deadly to non-drivers." While distracted driving and the rise of smartphones plays a small role, other countries have managed to keep their fatalities low. "Compare us with Germany, for example, where a love for speed and widespread cellphone use has not resulted in the death rates we see in the U.S. German traffic deaths fell 12% in 2020, which tracks the country’s 11% decrease in traffic volume."