The ongoing crisis of roadway fatalities in America, especially the racial disparities that contribute to a higher incidence of deaths among Black, Brown, tribal citizens, and rural residents, was cited by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in an interview with MSNBC host Al Sharpton on “Politics Nation.” Buttigieg pointed out that approximately 40,000 people die annually on U.S. roads, a toll comparable to gun violence fatalities. He attributed these disparities not only to discrimination but also to the design and construction of roads, noting that access to safe street designs, including crosswalks and good lighting, is unevenly distributed across communities.
Buttigieg’s comments underscore the need for attention to how infrastructure and systemic biases contribute to unequal safety outcomes on American roads. He stressed the government’s responsibility to address these disparities, indicating a commitment to reforming road safety measures to ensure equitable protection for all Americans. This focus on racial disparities in road fatalities aligns with Buttigieg’s broader agenda to combat discrimination within America’s infrastructure systems.
“Buttigieg points to how roads are ‘designed and built’ as the reason for racial disparities in road fatalities” by Lindsay Kornick on the Fox News website (April 16, 2023)
