Cars are absolutely one factor but not the only factor. Both Pedestrian fatalities and injuries are rising.[1] While cars are getting safer for passengers, man

Cars are absolutely one factor but not the only factor. Both Pedestrian fatalities and injuries are rising.[1] While cars are getting safer for passengers, manufacturers are not required or tested on improving pedestrian safety. You can see this in the rise of % of fatalities from car accidents that are pedestrians (less people dying in car crashes inside cars, more people dying by being hit by cars). This is despite the numbers improving drastically in the 00s[2]. I don't think cars are the primary driver though; I think it's the 24/7 news cycle and the various iterations of the dangers to children drilled into people's psyches. Random guy at the park? Paedophile. Kid makes up a story? Satanic panic. Kid hides near a weather balloon? National news sensation. You're constantly surrounded by evil and danger and you must do what you can at all costs to protect your child -- that's the message the media pushes. The people who grew up (as I did) with the primary directive of "come home when the streetlights come on" just weren't being exposed to that stuff then but were later on in life. I also think video games and the sheer amount of media we can consume are also big factors. People just don't want to go outside as much anymore, so outside spaces in newer suburban neighbourhoods tend to be awful. Houses are larger and more tightly packed, so kids have to go to the park. More tightly packed homes with smaller property sizes means more people (and more cars). There's probably a bunch of other factors I'm not thinking of as well. The short answer to the thread's question is essentially just "things are different." [1]: (PDF) https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813310 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/... [2]: (PDF) https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811625 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/...