Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

The (Too-Brief) History of Traffic Violence Memorials in America

Photo: Hippopx, CC

It's our December donation drive. Click the icon above. Thanks!

Mass memorials to the victims of traffic violence are a rarity on American roads. But it wasn't always that way — and there's a fascinating history behind why so many lost lives have become virtually invisible in the public realm today.

On this episode of The Brake, Kea Wilson sits down with historian and author Peter Norton to talk about how America used to memorialize car crash deaths in the early days of the automobile, and why automakers invested so much into reshaping the way we grieve. And then they chat about what it might take to bring the national traffic violence epidemic out of the shadows, and why even everyday non-lethal road trauma deserves to be called out.

Listen in below, on Apple podcasts, or anywhere else you listen.

No time to listen — or want to dig a little deeper? Check out our earlier coverage on this topic:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Five Simple Ways To Get Kids Biking To School

Kids aren't riding bikes like they used to — but that doesn't mean we can't get them back in the saddle.

October 10, 2025

Friday’s Easy Rider Headlines

Where do you draw the line between the new generation of fast e-bikes and motorcycles?

October 10, 2025

Parking Titan Donald Shoup’s Legacy Continues

There's a new book and a new UCLA center honor the world's foremost expert on parking, Donald Shoup, who died in February.

October 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Under a Highway in Birmingham Alabama

Ben Donsky of Agora Partners on City Walk BHAM in Birmingham, Alabama, a public space project that connects two sides of the city separated by a highway.

October 9, 2025

America Has a Golden Opportunity to End the ‘Highway Boondoggle’ Crisis

America's wasteful highway spending has gotten out of control — and if President Trump really wants to promote efficient government, he'll urge Congress to stop it.

October 9, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Sleep Tight

A new study links insomnia with the length of a person's commute.

October 9, 2025
See all posts