The disproportionate impact of auto crashes on Black and Hispanic people
When workers have more power, safety regulations often go up, suggests a journalist and author writing about accidents.
A car destroyed in a crash.
Many “accidents” that occur each day are not random — they are predictable and preventable. We navigate environments that large organizations construct and regulate, and therefore are tasked with keeping everyone safe.
But everyone is not safe — and certainly not safe at the same rates.
Of the 43,000 traffic crashes that occurred in 2021, Black and Hispanic individuals were “disproportionately affected by traffic-related deaths,” according to a Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health report. One author argues that these deaths happen not due to an accident or personal mistake, but because our built environment is dangerous.
“Telling people to drive safer can only, at the very best, create a limited pathway to safety.” — Jessie Singer, journalist and author.
Listen: How our built environment makes situations dangerous for many.
Guest
Jessie Singer is a journalist and author of “There are no accidents: The deadly rise of injury and disaster — who profits and who pays the price.” She says people only have so much autonomy over the “accidents” that occur in their lives — much of them, rather, are dictated by powerful corporations and government entities.
“Telling people to drive safer can only, at the very best, create a limited pathway to safety,” says Singer.
Photo credit: Jake Neher/WDET.
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