The number #1 cause of car crashes is the presence of cars. Walkable communities have less cars, therefore, less car crashes. The city grid is mainly to blame.

The number #1 cause of car crashes is the presence of cars. Walkable communities have less cars, therefore, less car crashes. The city grid is mainly to blame. The city grid of most American cities is uniquely bad - filled with streets which run at right angles to each other. Take a look at Brussels vs Queens New York. Brussels had 5 road deaths in one year. Queens New York averages 75/year. That's almost a 7x difference adjusted for population. Brussels has as an extremely irregular and walkable grid. Queens, like Manhattan, is full of dumb dangerous straight-lined roads and 90 degree angles. The more irregular the grid the lower the traffic fatalities (assuming you're in a high-income country). Why do suburbs have cul-de-sacs? They have curves, and They are useless as roads. They force cars to slow down, and disincentivize automobile traffic. Ergo, less cars, and your kids might get away with playing in the street without getting hit. Rip up the grid and build a walkable community. It won't be cheap. Upzone and lower property taxes for any private developer that builds affordable housing on a walkable grid in your city. There's only one place in the United States that's trying - Culdesac Tempe in Arizona. Northeast/California NIMBYs won't let you dare try to fight off their localism. They vote. Do you vote?