<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr style="width:596px"><td width="100%" align="center" style="border-bottom:1px solid rgb(220,220,220);padding:19px 0px 20px;width:596px;text-align:center"><div style="margin-bottom:15px"><a rel="noreferrer noopener" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><img src="https://static.nytimes.com/email-images/New_Headers/NYT-Headers-N-TheMorning%402x.png" alt="" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="width: 300px; max-width: 691px;"></a></div><p style="width:596px;margin-bottom:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:12px;font-family:georgia,serif">August 23, 2022</p></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" height="20" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="45" valign="middle" style="padding:0px 9px 15px 0px;vertical-align:middle;width:45px"><a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/o3SdkZ1FoQ4Agynh1kKaPQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZGF2aWQtbGVvbmhhcmR0P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/05/01/multimedia/David-Leonhardt-Headshot-The-Morning/David-Leonhardt-Headshot-The-Morning-blogSmallThumb-v3.png" alt="Author Headshot" width="45" height="45" class="gmail-CToWUd" style="width: 45px; min-height: 45px; border-radius: 100%;"></a></td><td valign="middle" style="padding:0px 0px 15px;vertical-align:middle"><p style="letter-spacing:0.2px;color:rgb(0,0,0);margin-bottom:3px;font-weight:600;font-stretch:normal;line-height:18px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">By <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/o3SdkZ1FoQ4Agynh1kKaPQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vYnkvZGF2aWQtbGVvbmhhcmR0P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:inherit;text-decoration-line:none;text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;border-bottom:1px solid rgb(204,204,204)">David Leonhardt</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;font-size:21px;line-height:30px;font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif">Good morning. A surge in vehicle crashes is disproportionately harming lower-income families and Black Americans.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" height="20" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" height="14" bgcolor="#000000" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" height="20" style="font-size:0px;line-height:0"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing:0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:0px;background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="width:596px;padding:0px;line-height:1;text-align:center"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/02/08/us/23-THE-MORNING-NL-ukz-crash/23-THE-MORNING-NL-ukz-crash-articleLarge.jpg" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; width: 494.677px; max-width: 500px; display: inline-block; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: 0;"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="text-align:center;width:596px;padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px"><span style="width:494.677px;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:left"><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)">A memorial in Albuquerque, where a 7-year-old was killed.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;padding-left:5px;color:rgb(136,136,136);letter-spacing:0.01em">Adria Malcolm for The New York Times</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h1 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-stretch:normal;font-size:31px;line-height:34px;font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 10px">Not since the 1940s</h1></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Vehicle crashes seem as if they might be an equal-opportunity public health problem. Americans in every demographic group drive, after all. If anything, poor families tend to rely more on public transportation and less on car travel.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Yet vehicle deaths turn out to be highly unequal. Lower-income people are much more likely to die in crashes, academic research shows. The racial gaps are also huge — even bigger on a percentage basis than the racial gaps on cancer, according to the C.D.C.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing:0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:0px;background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="width:596px;padding:0px;line-height:1;text-align:center"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/08/22/briefing/23morning-vehicle-deaths-race/oakImage-1661199265644-articleLarge.png" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; width: 494.677px; max-width: 500px; display: inline-block; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: 0;"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="text-align:center;width:596px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px"><span style="width:494.677px;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right"><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)"></span><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(136,136,136);letter-spacing:0.01em">Data understates all death rates because race is not recorded in all crashes. | Source: National Safety Council</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The unequal toll from crashes is particularly notable now because the U.S. is experiencing <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/on22LTtLl6ugAfwmOmPu2g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubmh0c2EuZ292L3ByZXNzLXJlbGVhc2VzL2Vhcmx5LWVzdGltYXRlcy1maXJzdC1xdWFydGVyLTIwMjI_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIyMDgyMyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDAwOSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTEyOTQwODMzNyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjEyMSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWQwYjNmYmIzOTJlMzA1MGZkN2E0YjBkNzdmNGIyNWZXA255dEIKYwPmqwRj-ZgTiFITeWFubmlzbWlmQHlhaG9vLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">an alarming increase in vehicle deaths</a>. Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, recently called it “a national crisis of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.” And the toll is falling most heavily on lower-income Americans and Black Americans.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The reasons for the increase remain somewhat mysterious, experts say. But the consequences are clear. More than 115 Americans have been dying on the roads on average every day this year.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Today’s newsletter will explore the likely explanations for the increase, as well as its unequal impact and the potential solutions.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-stretch:normal;font-size:24px;line-height:31px;font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 10px">A decline, reversed</h2></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Not so long ago, the trend in car crashes was a good-news story. The death rate began to fall in the early 1970s, thanks in large part to the consumer movement started by Ralph Nader. Cars became safer. States passed seatbelt laws. Drunken driving became less common. The declines continued into the early 2010s, as airbags became standard and vehicles began to include technology to prevent crashes.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing:0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:0px;background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="width:596px;padding:0px;line-height:1;text-align:center"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/08/22/briefing/23morning-vehicle-deaths-long-term/oakImage-1661189340085-articleLarge.png" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; width: 494.677px; max-width: 500px; display: inline-block; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: 0;"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="text-align:center;width:596px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px"><span style="width:494.677px;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right"><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)"></span><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(136,136,136);letter-spacing:0.01em">Source: National Safety Council</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">But the situation changed around 2015, with the death rate mostly rising over the next several years. One reason seems to be <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/GMboCWq-QD5JQd_mnihRjg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOC8wOS8yNy9idXNpbmVzcy9kaXN0cmFjdGVkLWRyaXZpbmctYXV0by1pbmR1c3RyeS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">distracted driving</a>. By 2015, two-thirds of U.S. adults owned a smartphone, up from almost none in 2006.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The U.S. has also been less aggressive about cracking down on speeding than Britain and some other parts of Europe, and vehicles here tend to be larger. “The engorgement of the American vehicle,” as Gregory Shill of the University of Iowa has called it, can kill pedestrians and people in smaller vehicles. These patterns help explain why death rates <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/HTJGB4YZv59-Kq3ikM_vPg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNy8xMS8xOS9vcGluaW9uL2FtZXJpY2EtaXMtbm93LWFuLW91dGxpZXItb24tZHJpdmluZy1kZWF0aHMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD05JmVtYz1lZGl0X25uXzIwMjIwODIzJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMDA5Jm5sPXRoZS1tb3JuaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9MTI5NDA4MzM3JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyMTIxJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hZDBiM2ZiYjM5MmUzMDUwZmQ3YTRiMGQ3N2Y0YjI1ZlcDbnl0QgpjA-arBGP5mBOIUhN5YW5uaXNtaWZAeWFob28uY29tWAQAAAAA" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">have fallen substantially more</a> in other countries than in the U.S. during recent decades.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">As alarming as these trends were, the biggest increases have taken place more recently — since the pandemic. In the spring of 2020, as Covid was transforming daily life, <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/kw8ZjQeiIBBC5fjgh1gLHQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMi8xNS9icmllZmluZy92ZWhpY2xlLWNyYXNoZXMtZGVhdGhzLXBhbmRlbWljLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIyMDgyMyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDAwOSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTEyOTQwODMzNyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjEyMSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWQwYjNmYmIzOTJlMzA1MGZkN2E0YjBkNzdmNGIyNWZXA255dEIKYwPmqwRj-ZgTiFITeWFubmlzbWlmQHlhaG9vLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">vehicle crashes surged</a>. By the start of this year, the death rate had jumped about 20 percent from prepandemic levels. It has been the sharpest increase since the 1940s.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing:0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:0px;background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="width:596px;padding:0px;line-height:1;text-align:center"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/08/22/briefing/23morning-vehicle-deaths-recent/23morning-vehicle-deaths-recent-articleLarge.png" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; width: 494.677px; max-width: 500px; display: inline-block; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: 0;"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="text-align:center;width:596px;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px"><span style="width:494.677px;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right"><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)"></span><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;padding-left:0px;color:rgb(136,136,136);letter-spacing:0.01em">Source: National Safety Council</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">How did Covid lead to more crashes?</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">At first, researchers thought that emptier roads might be the main answer. Open roads can encourage speeding, and speeding can be fatal. But even as traffic returned to near-normal levels last year, traffic deaths remained high. That combination weakens the empty-road theory, as Robert Schneider, an urban-planning expert at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The most plausible remaining theories tend to involve the mental health problems caused by Covid’s isolation and disruption. Alcohol and drug abuse have increased. Impulsive behavior, like running red lights and failing to wear seatbelts, also seems to have risen (as my colleague Simon Romero <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/vpBvTv8-oiBFvrkar6c3EQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMi8xNC91cy9wZWRlc3RyaWFuLWRlYXRocy1wYW5kZW1pYy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">has reported</a>). Many Americans have felt frustrated or unhappy, and it seems to have affected their driving.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">“They’re a little bit less regulated — they might not be considering consequences,” Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist at Seattle University, <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/_ZzwPvQ4srno8sQIT8KW2g~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TQaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXBhLm9yZy9tb25pdG9yLzIwMjIvMDYvZmVhdHVyZS10cmFmZmljLXNhZmV0eT9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD05JmVtYz1lZGl0X25uXzIwMjIwODIzJmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTcwMDA5Jm5sPXRoZS1tb3JuaW5nJnJlZ2lfaWQ9MTI5NDA4MzM3JnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTAyMTIxJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hZDBiM2ZiYjM5MmUzMDUwZmQ3YTRiMGQ3N2Y0YjI1ZlcDbnl0QgpjA-arBGP5mBOIUhN5YW5uaXNtaWZAeWFob28uY29tWAQAAAAA" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">has said</a>. Frank Farley, a psychologist at Temple University, put it this way to The Los Angeles Times: “You’ve been cooped up, locked down and have restrictions you chafe at.”</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Ken Kolosh, who oversees data analysis at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit group, told me that researchers would need years to tease out all the causes. Confusingly, vehicle deaths did not surge in most other countries during the pandemic, suggesting that stress was a particularly American problem. “The world really felt upside down,” Kolosh said.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">One encouraging data point that’s consistent with this theory: The most recent data shows that vehicle deaths declined modestly this spring, as Covid restrictions continued to recede.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing:0px;font-family:arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:0px;background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="width:596px;padding:0px;line-height:1;text-align:center"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/08/03/nyregion/23-THE-MORNING-NL-ukz-crash2/merlin_210993201_ae059b9b-5fd4-4827-8c0e-e48bc4edea84-articleLarge.jpg" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; width: 494.677px; max-width: 500px; display: inline-block; padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; line-height: 0;"></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" align="center" style="text-align:center;width:596px;padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px"><span style="width:494.677px;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:left"><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)">The scene of a collision in Manhattan this month.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:georgia,serif;padding-left:5px;color:rgb(136,136,136);letter-spacing:0.01em">Dakota Santiago for The New York Times</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-stretch:normal;font-size:24px;line-height:31px;font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 10px">An unequal pandemic …</h2></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Still, the surge in crashes has become one more way that the pandemic has hurt lower-income Americans and people of color the most — as did <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/0tYxvWVEqGDVDO7pQkSaCQ~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wNi8wOS9icmllZmluZy9jb3ZpZC1yYWNlLWRlYXRocy1hbWVyaWNhLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9OSZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ubl8yMDIyMDgyMyZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03MDAwOSZubD10aGUtbW9ybmluZyZyZWdpX2lkPTEyOTQwODMzNyZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTEwMjEyMSZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWQwYjNmYmIzOTJlMzA1MGZkN2E0YjBkNzdmNGIyNWZXA255dEIKYwPmqwRj-ZgTiFITeWFubmlzbWlmQHlhaG9vLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">the early wave of Covid deaths</a> and <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/VNlokyEyEyOCw98trEr7eg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0TqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wNS8wNS9icmllZmluZy9zY2hvb2wtY2xvc3VyZXMtY292aWQtbGVhcm5pbmctbG9zcy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">the consequences of closed schools</a>.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">As I mentioned above, vehicle fatalities have long been unequal. Poorer people are more likely to drive older cars, which can lack safety features. Low-income neighborhoods are also much more likely to have high-speed roads running through them. “We have systematically put these arterial roadways in areas where people had less political power to fight back,” Rebecca Sanders, the founder of Safe Streets Research & Consulting, said.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">The pandemic probably exacerbated the gaps because many professionals have begun working from home, while many blue-collar Americans kept driving, biking or walking to work. Some lower-income workers also drive as part of their jobs.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><h2 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-stretch:normal;font-size:24px;line-height:31px;font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 10px">… and some solutions</h2></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Even if the full explanation of the surge in crashes is murky, many experts believe that the most promising solutions remain clear.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">“Making streets safer doesn’t require designing new solutions in laboratories,” John Rennie Short, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/qzdU2eMIIQ0e9IQmq0dTEg~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0T8aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVjb252ZXJzYXRpb24uY29tL2RlYXRocy1hbmQtaW5qdXJpZXMtaW4tcm9hZC1jcmFzaGVzLWFyZS1hLXNpbGVudC1lcGlkZW1pYy1vbi13aGVlbHMtMTgyNzM1P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">has written</a>. Jeffrey Michael, another expert, told The Washington Post, “This is an issue for which answers are known.”</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Those answers include: stricter enforcement of speed limits, seatbelt mandates and drunken-driving laws; better designed roads, especially in poorer neighborhoods; more public transit; and further spread of safety features like automated braking.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px">Continuing to leave behind the disruptions of Covid — and the loneliness and stress they have caused — seems likely to help, too.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="color:rgb(38,40,42);font-family:"Google Sans",Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0px auto;max-width:600px;width:600px"><table width="100%" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-stretch:normal;font-size:17px;line-height:25px;font-family:georgia,serif;margin:0px 0px 15px"><span style="font-weight:700;font-size:inherit">Related: </span>Buttigieg and the Transportation Department plan to use new funding from Congress <a href="https://nl.nytimes.com/f/newsletter/HJCP7_BYmUimC1vn7cDBPw~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRk5zDmP0ThaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMS8yNy91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9kb3QtdHJhZmZpYy1kZWF0aHMtcGxhbi5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTkmZW1jPWVkaXRfbm5fMjAyMjA4MjMmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzAwMDkmbmw9dGhlLW1vcm5pbmcmcmVnaV9pZD0xMjk0MDgzMzcmc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMDIxMjEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFkMGIzZmJiMzkyZTMwNTBmZDdhNGIwZDc3ZjRiMjVmVwNueXRCCmMD5qsEY_mYE4hSE3lhbm5pc21pZkB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAA~" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(40,110,208);text-decoration-style:solid;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit">to reduce vehicle deaths</a>. Among the many projects: an elevated path for pedestrians in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood; and new sidewalks, bike lanes and lighting near a mass transit station in Prince George’s County, Md.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">be a kind human</font><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Bonita Green</font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>