Let's talk about traffic

For the longest time I was like the majority of drivers out there, simply blaming other drivers. Then I blamed the bad road conditions. After that it was the government's fault. Or the weather.



I want to point out a fact - 37,461 people died in 2016 in the US alone from car accidents, and over 1.25 million deaths globally. For perspective, Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North and South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, and Rhode Island all have less people than that living in them.



The problem with traffic is a complicated one, so I'll break it down a bit. There's road infrastructure, number of vehicles, rules and laws and law enforcement, and the effect all of these have when combined. On top of that, there's health, environmental, financial, and commercial issues involved, just to make things even more complex - so bear with me, this is a long one.



Most toll roads today are "state" funded enterprise, either partially or fully owned by the government. This means the govt rents out the road (or land) to a private company in return for a share of the profits. Non toll roads are usually not as well kept, as they offer no monetary incentives. Even the toll roads that do "make money" are not improved and maintained as needed, as safety measures cost money where private investors do the minimum to increase profits. A recent quality assurance review found that American highways are deteriorating faster than expected due to poor upkeep. And this is not an American problem only - China collects over 400 billion yuan each year from toll roads, but the upkeep is upwards of 700 billion, putting China in debt of 4.4 trillion yuan to private toll road investors.



As the number of vehicles on the road grows, so do the number of roads and the size of roads (more lanes). But this is a form of induced demand - the amount of roads increase and the traffic increases with it. China had one of the world's worst traffic jam, leaving thousands of travellers stuck for over days. In Indonesia the something similar happened, for an astounding 35 hours, causing 12-18 fatalities due to excessive heat, lack of resources while stranded, and ambulances could not reach people in time.



Currently, death by car accident is the leading cause of death among people ages 15-29, and 9th leading cause of death among ALL people. It is expected to grow and become the 7th leading cause by 2030, and this is not counting the 50 million people globally who only get injured and don't die. (50 million people is the population of Columbia). These injuries and fatalities are often because of lack of rules and enforcement (in poor countries), education (why do I need a seat belt?), and the automakers decisions to save a few hundred dollars in production by creating "basic" models that offer under-performing seat belts, weaker body structure, and no airbags - all for more profit.



Drivers are often stressed out, sometimes by life's problems, and at times just because they are stuck in traffic. This stress can be distracting, leading to poor judgement and adding to the unsafe conditions on the road. Sarcastically speaking, the best way to deal with stress is with alcohol, which is one of the leading causes to traffic accidents. But let's pause on that one, and add to it the marketing and culture of our society.



Every sporting event, party, concert, or the mundane dinner is heavily reliant (if not based on) alcohol consumption. Our billboards and commercials constantly remind us to be responsible, and drink more. If you are happy, sad, or bored, it seems to be a reason to drink alcohol. Our culture is the reason North America is 3rd for the highest amount of alcohol related road fatalities. In the US, one person dies every 51 minutes from drunk driving, at a cost of over $52 billion per year. It's worse in Canada.

The sober drivers are often distracted ones. Either by marketing on the road or phones, companies make money on that distraction, so billion dollar companies design apps to be addictive to increase their profits. These distractions cause slower reaction times, lane drifts, and shorter following distances. There is no evidence that laws help with that distraction at all. Most vehicles have a speedometer that goes up to 160mph, but that is a marketing ploy to give an illusion of a powerful car, when most cars won't go faster than 100mph at best. Speeding as a cause for accidents is highest among delivery drivers, with added pressure on them to make deliveries on time. And who hasn't been annoyed by a slow driver that is driving under the speed limit? Also consider snow, rain, ice, wind, fog, sun glares, sleepiness, and just plain human fallibility, as they all contribute to distractions and stress on the road.



The financial stress of car ownership is a big one. Vehicle maintenance is costly - gas, oil changes, tires, car battery, windshield wipers, coolant fluids, shocks, breaks, etc, add up to thousands of dollars each year, on top of the regular car payments, insurance payments, and parking costs. Parking costs add up to another car payment sometimes, and the consequence of not making those payments result in violations and fines. In Texas, a women spent a night in jail after accumulating over 14,000 dollars in fines. In 2016 the city of Los Angeles earned almost $148 million from parking tickets. Add to that license registration, tags and plates, and this money is crucial for a city's operation. Therefor, the city must give out those tickets to keep operating, since that money covers salaries and administrative costs. In some cities in China there's a lottery to register a vehicle, as means to limit the number of cars on the road. Most people wait years and still get denied, but drive anyways to get to work, and provide more reasons for more traffic tickets.



Traffic jams themselves add lots of time to a daily commute. In Mexico City, people spend an extra 227 hours each year standing in traffic, 170 hours per year in Los Angeles, and 130 in Toronto.



That's a lot to take in. Take a pause for a second, think that over. Breath. Ready to continue?