Friday’s Headlines Change How We Keep Score

The way the U.S. measures traffic death rates skews public perception toward the status quo.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on March 13, 2026

The typical method of keeping crash statistics in the U.S. underplays how often they happen.

Deaths per miles driven paints a disturbing picture of the road safety problem in the U.S. But looking at how many people drivers kill per capita makes the crisis even worse, because Americans drive bigger vehicles longer distances on more dangerous roads than their peers in other countries. The solution, in the latter metric, is less driving. (CityLab)
As the world gets hotter, so do subway stations — more so, even, thanks to the heat island effect. (Nautilus)
Uber signed a deal to use robotaxis built by a company called Zoox. (Reuters)
The Trump administration's new standards for transportation grants mean Detroit won't be able to go forward with planned road diets. (Bridge Detroit)
Las Vegas officials are optimistic about achieving Vision Zero by 2050. (KTNV)
Denver activists held a die-in for each of the 93 people killed by drivers last year. (Denverite)
Minnesota settled with Lyft in a lawsuit over the ride-hailing service refusing to allow service animals. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Utah is pumping money into transit in advance of a 2034 Winter Olympics bid. (Salt Lake City Weekly)
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill's proposed budget boosts transit funding by $125 million. (NJ.com)
Light rail ridership on the Twin Cities' Metro Transit fell by 14 percent last year, with bus ridership remaining flat despite new BRT lines. (Axios)
Greater Greater Washington sued to get a report on congestion pricing that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser suppressed for four years. Unfortunately, at this point it's out of date.
Bendy buses are the best. (Planetizen)