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The Built Environment and Traffic Safety

A Review of Empirical Evidence

University of Maryland, ewing{at}arch.utah.edu

Eric Dumbaugh

Texas A&M University, edumbaugh{at}tamu.edu

The article reaches two conclusions counter to accepted transportation engineering theory. First, the traffic environments of dense urban areas appear to be safer than the lower-volume environments of the suburbs. The reason is that many fewer miles are driven on a per capita basis, and the driving that is done is at lower speeds that are less likely to produce fatal crashes. Second, at least in dense urban areas, less-"forgiving" design treatments—such as narrow lanes, traffic-calming measures, and street trees close to the roadway—appear to enhance a roadway's safety performance when compared to more conventional roadway designs. The reason for this apparent anomaly may be that less-forgiving designs provide drivers with clear information on safe and appropriate operating speeds.

Key Words: traffic safety • built environment • urban sprawl • street design

Journal of Planning Literature, Vol. 23, No. 4, 347-367 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0885412209335553


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