Why is road safety in the U.S. not on par with Sweden, the U.K.,
and the Netherlands? Lessons to be learned Source: University of
Michigan Transportation Research Institute This study compared
road safety and related factors in the U.S. with those in
Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, in order to
identify actions most likely to produce casualty reductions in
the U.S. The reviewed topics were basic country statistics, road
fatalities and various fatality rates, national road-safety
strategies, and selected road-safety issues. The main
differences concerned structural and cultural factors (such as
vehicle distance driven), and procedural factors (such as road-
safety strategies and targets, alcohol-impaired driving,
exceeding speed limits, and use of seat belts). The main
recommendations for improving road safety in the U.S. are as
follows: (1) lower states’ BAC limits to 0.5 g/l and introduce
effective random breath testing, (2) reexamine the current
speed-limit policies and improve speed enforcem