Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US?

Road and street design

• Many argue U.S. roads are fundamentally hostile to pedestrians: wide, fast “stroads,” long distances between crossings, missing/fragmented sidewalks and bike paths, crosswalks that dump into multi‑lane arterials, and bike lanes that intersect highway ramps.
• Comparisons to Europe/Japan stress narrower streets, traffic calming (speed bumps, bulb‑outs, raised crosswalks), and designs that physically force lower speeds and driver attention. Others note Europe is heterogeneous and not uniformly good.
• Some highlight that roads didn’t change abruptly around 2009, so design alone can’t explain the recent spike, but it amplifies every other risk factor.

Vehicle size and design

• Strong support for the “big SUV/ truck” hypothesis: higher, blunter fronts, higher beltlines, and much thicker A‑pillars reduce visibility and severely worsen pedestrian impact outcomes.
• Counterpoint: the article’s use of broad body-type buckets (SUVs + crossovers + pickups) is criticized as methodologically weak; sedans have also grown taller and heavier, which might explain rising sedan lethality.
• Window tint and truck classifications that allow darker glazing further reduce situational awareness.

Driver behavior, training, and enforcement

• Widespread speeding, red‑light running, rolling right‑on‑red, and inattentive corner‑cutting are described as routine. U.S. driver training and tests are called “a joke,” and enforcement as lax and focused on minor revenue tickets.
• Some stress that in other countries drivers face more consistent penalties (or strict liability) for endangering pedestrians, whereas in the U.S. drivers are rarely charged; “I didn’t see them” often suffices.

Pedestrian behavior and blame

• Many pedestrians are officially blamed (“failed to yield,” “in roadway improperly”), but commenters note this may reflect survivorship bias and legal framing, not true fault.
• Others report frequent risky walking—mid‑block crossings, ignoring signals, phones—and argue both sides are increasingly distracted. Still, several insist these behaviors are largely a response to hostile infrastructure.

Phones, COVID, and timing

• The post‑2009 rise aligns with mass smartphone and 4G adoption; some see underreported driver distraction behind rising “distraction not reported” categories.
• Critics counter that phones are global, while the big spike is U.S.-specific, implying interaction with U.S.-only factors like vehicle fleet, road design, and weak safety policy.

Culture, car dependence, and policy

• Recurrent theme: U.S. society implicitly accepts tens of thousands of annual road deaths as the “price” of car-centric life.
• Zoning and weak transit make driving the only practical option for most, creating a vicious cycle: more cars → more danger → fewer walkers.
• Several point to “Safe System” / Vision Zero–style approaches abroad and argue the U.S. lacks comparable political will.