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The Brake Podcast: How Many People Does Car Culture Kill, Exactly?

One in 32 people around the world die from car crashes, car-related air pollution, and car-related lead exposure every year. But even the astonishing number doesn't tell the whole story.

Sustainable transportation advocates know all the stats about how many people die in car crashes on global roads every year. But what about all the deaths and injuries that car culture causes — not to mention all the other ways it diminishes and destroys our communities? On this episode of The Brake, we’re bringing you an extended interview with the lead author of a new literature review that took on the impossible task of answering that question, and offered an astonishing glimpse into the many “car harms” that researchers around the world have tried to quantify. And then, we talk a little bit about how the costs of automobility measure up against its supposed benefits — and what it will take to shift the balance sheet towards human-scaled places. Listen in, and read a shareable digest of Miner’s paper here. 

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