Tuesday’s Headlines Face Their Fears
A third of Americans say car crashes are the biggest threat to their safety.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 4, 2026
- A new Gallup poll found that Americans’ No. 1 fear is car crashes. When asked about the greatest risk to their safety, 34 percent of respondents said car crashes — almost twice as many as the second-most popular response, violent crime. (Jalopnik)
- Beth Osborne blasted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for implying that people who ride bikes or live in apartments are unworthy of safe streets.
- Cities are using robots to evaluate sidewalk conditions and find out where improvements are needed to meet ADA requirements. (Government Technology)
- The new book “Transportation and the Shape of Cities” examines the spatial needs of various modes of transportation. (Forbes)
- Florida wants to use $198 million the federal government earmarked for electric vehicle chargers to build helipads for flying taxis instead. (The Next Web)
- The Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration is letting robotaxi company Zoox deploy up to 5,000 vehicles in San Francisco. (The Verge)
- A Wayne County, Michigan transit funding referendum would no longer let communities opt out of the tax. (Detroit Free Press)
- Idaho’s Valley Regional Transit is shutting down a program that takes people to medical appointments due to lack of funding. (Capital Sun)
- Leaders in Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood are fighting to restore federal funding for an expressway cap. (Inside Climate News)
- A Nashville city council member is considering restricting cars on Broadway after a driver hit four pedestrians. (WSMV)
- The Portland city council is considering banning right turns on red on more streets. (KGW)
- Volunteer docents on a Pacific Coast Amtrak line are getting passengers to look up from their phones and check out the scenery. (Oregonian)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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